Spectrum
by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil
Summary: Jaune's seven sisters are possessed by the swords passed down the Arc family lineage and it is now up to him to save them.
1. Prologue

**Pre-story Author's Notes:** Hello everyone and welcome to Spectrum.

While this story is without a doubt a RWBY fanfiction, the anime Katanagatari was a heavy influence in creating it. Not enough to be a cross-over but there are still some glaring similarities. Other principle inspirations are To Aru Majutsu no Index, Fullmetal Alchemist and The Dresden Files. There are many other things I borrow from throughout the story, I just felt those ones deserved the biggest callout. Some of them aren't even immediately obvious until later in the story. If you're familiar with any of them, I'm sure you'll notice it when I get to it.

Before we go any further, I would also like to apologize because this chapter is not only pretty short but is also from an OC perspective. That's something I usually try to avoid doing but this story will be introducing seven OCs as fairly important characters so it is going to happen occasionally throughout. The next chapter will be from Jaune's PoV and should be considerably longer than this one but that doesn't do this prologue much good, haha.

Jefardi has helped me extensively with this story, from the very early planning phase to looking over every chapter before I post, so I would like to give him a big thanks. The cover art was drawn by Natzo and a link to it and other Spectrum fanart is on my profile page.

Anyways, let's get this show on the road, starting with a scene from the perspective of Jaune's eldest sister.

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Prologue_

* * *

"Violet! Where do you think you're going?" The eldest Arc sister ignored her mother's calls as she fled from the dining room, purple ponytail whipping when she turned the corner. Her fiery orange eyes alight with fury.

Most of their family had just sat down for dinner. However, there had been three notable people absent from the table this evening. The moment she realized which three and her heart nearly stopped.

Her father being missing wasn't unusual. He was often away with Huntsman business, despite the fact that he had already retired from the life of hunting Grimm. When he had passed Crocea Mors onto Joan he had stepped down from active duty, yet still remained a very important figure in both the Huntsmen Community and village militia.

It was the fact that her youngest sister, Rouge, and her only brother, Jaune, that were missing in tandem with him that made her worried. If it had been any other combination of siblings it wouldn't have been a cause for concern. The fact that it was them left a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She needed to confirm it with her own eyes and just hope that she was wrong.

"Rouge!" She rushed into the family's dojo, just hoping that it wasn't already too late.

"Big sister!" The redheaded girl spun on her heels and grinned brightly, but Violet didn't even notice. She didn't see the pride in her youngest sister's yellow eyes. There was only one thing she could look at.

The rapier in her hand.

Fia Vesta.

One of Seven Sacred Swords passed down the Arc lineage and the only one that still didn't have an owner.

At least, until now it didn't.

"It turns out I'm compatible with the sword! Now I'm just like the rest of you!" Rouge held it above her head and Violet saw a small spark of light flick from the tip of the blade. That sword held unimaginable power in the right hands and was virtually indestructible. Now that Rouge was proven compatible she would begin training to harness that power. It would be the first time in over a thousand years that all seven had been wielded at once. Yet such things weren't important right now. Not to Violet.

"Where's father?" She asked. It hadn't been intentional, but the hard edge in her voice immediately caused her youngest sister to frown and lower lip to tremble.

"D-did I do something wrong?" Rouge lowered the weapon and tried to make herself look small under her eldest sister's gaze. Violet had to fight the urge to let out a sigh and instead crossed the room while trying to look as unimposing as possible. She leaned down and affectionately tousled her sister's red hair.

"You didn't do anything Rouge." She spoke in a whisper. It was the only way to hide the nerves she was feeling. "Congratulations on getting your own sword. However, you're still only five years old. Father shouldn't have left you alone in the room unsupervised with it, do you understand?" Slowly the girl nodded and a small smile returned to her face.

"I cannot wait until I'm grown up like you, big sister. Then I can use my sword un-su-pra-vised." Despite her best efforts, she couldn't properly say that last word.

"I'm only fourteen, Rouge." Violet stood back up, eyes scanning the room for any sign of where her brother and father might have gone. "I have a lot of growing up to do myself. Now where is Father?"

Rouge turned and pointed out the back door.

"He took big brother back to the shed. He said there was something important they had to do. He was going to teach him a special family tradition."

Oh no.

Oh, no, no, no.

"Rouge." Violet attempted not to let her haste and worry leak into her voice but it was feeble at best. It was only a small condolence that Rouge appeared too young to truly pick up on such cues. "Put away your sword and go tell everyone the good news. I bet mother will even give you extra helpings."

"Okay!" Rouge had to call as Violet was already running towards the back and outside into the crisp evening air. The last rays of sunlight were fading over the horizon and in the distance she could see the shed distinctly illuminated by lamplight.

She didn't bother to put on shoes and bolted across the yard with just her socks. Her ponytail whipped wildly behind her as she ran and she didn't slow down until she reached the shed. Taking control of her erratic breathing, she leaned an ear against the closed door, hoping again that it wasn't too late.

Inside she could hear their father mumbling words of encouragement... and then a small sob.

Before she was even aware of what she was doing she swung the door open. "Jaune!"

"Violet!" Her father leapt to his feet in a mix of spun to the door. He was a tall man, towering over Violet's petite teenage form. With the deep scowl on his face and rigid stance lit only by the candlelight, he should have been an imposing figure. She couldn't be bothered to care about such things. Just behind him sat her younger brother. He was younger and smaller than them both, his tiny frame curling in on himself. Scraggly blond hair almost indistinguishable with the flickering orange light. His hands were wrapped in white bandages…

...bandages that were already quickly staining red with his blood.

"What did you do to him!?" Instinctively she reached for Ostrum Tempus, her beloved katana, only to remember she hadn't brought it with her to the dining room in the first place.

"Violet. Lower your voice." Her father's stance relaxed as the initial surprise from her entrance wore off and his own tone softened. She didn't want to listen to him. Not after what he had done to her little brother. How could he do such a thing to his own son? She wanted to grab Jaune and run away from here. At the very least punch the man that hurt him right in the face. "You knew this was going to have to happen... he wasn't compatible." She did know. Despite this being an eventuality she had never wanted to put her brother through this. She had known it after his twin had proven compatible with Crocea Mors and he hadn't shown an affiliation for either of the remaining two swords.

Now that there was for sure no chance that he could ever use one of the blades the time had come... and their father had certainly wasted none.

Jaune gave a small whimper from behind him and Violet couldn't stand away anymore. As calmly as possible, she strolled up to him while trying not to notice the bloodstains illuminated on the wooden floor. She passed by her father without a word and he stepped to the side to give her room. Once next to her brother, she crouched down so her eyes were level with his.

"Jaune... are you okay?" She didn't know why she asked such a stupid question. He was anything but okay. He was only seven years old. He shouldn't have to be put through something like this.

Despite all this he gave a small nod and a huge smile spread across his tear-stained face.

"I'm fine... Violet." His voice cracked and she had to fight the urge to embrace him. "I couldn't... become like you or the rest of our sisters. The swords didn't respond to me, no matter how hard I tried. At least this way... maybe one day I'll be useful to all of you." She shook her head, eyes glued only to the red stains on his hands. Blood was slowly leaking past the white bandages now and dripping to the floor with an almost rhythmic timing.

"You... understand what has happened to you, right?" The markings their father had literally just carved onto the bones of his hands weren't something to be used lightly. They forcefully unlocked your Aura and then destroyed your Semblance before overriding it with a new ability. He only had one power that he could use now. His life only had one purpose.

"If someone ever steals the swords from you... I can destroy them. I can make them pay for you." That was it. The markings on his hands allowed him to destroy the Seven Sacred Arc Swords just by coming into contact with them. Nothing else could break them. That was their only ability. His whole life now would be dedicated to that purpose and it was possible there would never come a day where he would be called upon to fulfill it. The swords had been in use for over a thousand years after all. Since their ancestor forged them. Not once had they fallen into evil hands capable of unleashing their power.

"Jaune… I promise you." Violet reached to grab his hands and faltered. She couldn't bear to hurt him more than he already was. "You will never have to use that ability. I'll make absolute sure of it. So long as I'm in control, you'll always be safe."

His smile faltered. "But... what value am I to you if I can't even use these hands?"

This time she didn't resist the urge to hug him and pulled his face forward into her chest as she caressed the back of his head.

"You're our brother... that's all the value we need." She whispered this soothingly into his ear before placing a small kiss on top of his head.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw their father shift uncomfortably. He didn't say anything to her and she had nothing further to say to him. There was no undoing what was already done and it was true that someone was going to need the glyphs inscribed on their hands eventually. It only made sense to give them to Jaune. Only an Arc was compatible with them and he had no chance of ever wielding one of the swords now. She just wished they could have at least waited until he was older... this was too much for someone so young.

Again he gave another small sob and she could see him fighting to keep more tears from falling. Despite the tough act he was trying to put on, there was no way he wasn't in excruciating pain right at this very moment.

Pain that was never necessary for him to have gone through if she had her way.

* * *

 **Prologue End**


	2. Meet the Arcs

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Meet the Arcs_

* * *

" _Today is a momentous occasion for the village of Domremy as important ambassadors from all four of the great kingdoms fly in personally to hold a banquet in honor of the Seven Arc Sisters."_

Jaune lifted his hand and adjusted the earbud that ran from his pocket radio.

" _For those of you that haven't been following, the Seven Arc Sisters recently put an end to the terrorist organization, The White Fang, and uncovered a sinister plot to bring down the Four Kingdoms. The woman behind this conspiracy is current in custody thanks to their efforts but her name hasn't been released yet to the public."_

He gave a small hum and allowed a smile to spread across his face as he stretched out across the floor and opened his eyes to look at the ceiling of the family dojo. He should really be training right now... but it was a holiday, kind of. At the very least it was the end of summer and it was really hot. Besides, those big-shots were coming in from all over specifically to meet his now famous sisters. For the first time in a long time the whole family was home again and they certainly weren't training. Why should he be?

" _The Seven Arc Sisters were led by their eldest sister, Violet Arc, who is still only twenty-five years old. The youngest of them is only sixteen and she is still attending Signal Academy. Rumors suggest that with the power of her ancient sword, she could rival even most fully trained Hunters."_

That's right, don't underestimate little Rouge. She may be the sweetest little thing he had ever met but if she wanted to she could roast anyone alive with that sword of hers. He couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of his sweet, innocent, little sister actually harming someone of her own will. Certainly her sword was powerful and destructive, but she was quite adept at making sure it never caused anyone any actual harm.

"Something amusing you?" He turned his head to look at his second-eldest sister, Amethyst. One of her red eyes was cracked open and looking at him through her dark purple hair. He hadn't realized it but one side of her headphones was slipped slightly off her ear which was unusual. She hated not being completely surrounded by her music.

Of all this sisters, the two of them looked the most alike. Amethyst had her indigo hair cut to the same length of his own scraggly blond locks. She was dressed in a sleeveless black shirt that showed off her less than average breasts and skinny arms, not that he really paid attention to such things. Her blue jeans were ripped in multiple places, revealing the skin of her long lankly legs. Aside from him, she was the tallest of their siblings and thus closest to him in height.

He pulled off one of his earbuds and was immediately greeted with the cacophony coming from hers. "Just thinking to myself is all. Something wrong?" He had never been a fan of her music and still wasn't now. Whatever she was listening to was some really heavy stuff judging by the screams and heavy baseline thumping out her headphones. Sometimes it really surprised him that she wasn't already deaf. Or at the very least well on the way.

She gave a small shrug. "I'm just keeping an eye out for Violet or Olivia. They're going to chew our heads off if we're caught slackening around like this." It was still funny to him that Olivia could scare her so much despite being the younger sister. Then again, she scared everyone except for probably Violet.

"You mean they'll chew _your_ head off." He reached one of his wrapped hands over and lightly nudged her shoulder. Even that caused the eleven-year old scars to slightly tingle. "I'm not the one that has to get ready for this big banquet. It's in honor of you girls, not me." She rolled her eyes at him before returning her gaze to the ceiling

"Whatever. I just wish I could skip the whole stupid thing." She really meant that too, knowing her. It didn't sound like a bad idea to him either. "You'll still have to be there too you know…" Well, she wasn't wrong about that. There was no way Joan was going to let him skip and even if she did he didn't want to imagine the look of pure disappointment on Rouge's face if he wasn't there.

"Yeah, yeah. I wouldn't miss it for the world." He pat her shoulder once again, this time leaving his hand there to rest for a while. In response she gave the smallest ghost of a smile. It last for just a moment before her red eyes widened and she bolted upright into a sitting position.

Welp, he guessed the jig was up.

The soft footsteps as his eldest sister, Violet, echoed across the dojo as she strolled over to the two of them. "Amethyst. How did I know I would find you slacking off?" He didn't turn to look, but he could just picture her expression now. One hand rested on her hip, glaring down her nose at the both of them. More specifically at Amethyst until she finished telling her off.

To her credit, Amethyst simply shrugged unapologetically. "Probably because you've been watching over me since I was born?"

"Go report to Olivia." Violet didn't bother responding to her snark. "And if you see Ciel, drag her with you. I don't need her trying to booby-trap the event with her "hysterical" practical jokes." Amethyst gave a small sigh but nevertheless set out to do as she was told immediately. None of them dared to question Violet when she gave orders after all.

"...And what do you think you're doing?" Amethyst gone, she nudged him gently in the ribs with her toe and he gave a small giggle at the ticklish feeling. He finally turned to look at her and saw she was smiling gently back down at him, her orange eyes already softening from the intense glare she had surely been giving her younger sister.

Violet wasn't as tall as Amethyst, but that didn't stop her from being afraid of her big sister all the same. Where Amethyst was all skin and bones, Violet was considerably more tone. It was to the point you would notice it even under her white t-shirt and khaki capris. Of course, Jaune knew he had nothing to fear from their eldest sister, despite how badly she intimidated the others.

"Taking a break. Wanna join me?" He patted the wooden floor next to him. He knew the answer before she shook her head, purple ponytail waving side to side.

"I've got a lot to do...such as keeping all our sisters in line on top of managing all the preparations. I could use a hand with the first part if you don't mind." She crouched down and pulled out his other earbud, removing the sound of the radio completely. It wasn't a command but even so it wasn't exactly a request he could refuse.

"Alright…" He let out a long drawl as he hopped to his feet in one fluid motion. Once up, he dusted off the back of his blue exercise-shorts and orange t-shirt. Then he made sure the wrappings on his hands and forearms were still snug and secure. Once done, he flexed his fingers in and out several times and just kind of watched as the wraps curled with the motion.

"...Do they ever still hurt?" Violet barely whispered those words. He gave her a quick glance to see her orange eyes lingering on the wounds as if she was looking at them for the first time all over again.

"Hmm, not often anymore." He tried to play it off, giving his voice a little more pep than it normally carried. "I mean, it's been eleven years. You think I would get over it eventually." Okay, so yeah. He had magical glyphs quite literally etched onto the bones of his hands and that pain had been excruciating for a long time. On top of that, only about a week later he had to start training and had been made to punch a wooden dummy with his still healing hands. That part had sucked. That was also so far in the past now it was almost not worth thinking about.

Violet's hands gingerly reached over and as gently as she could placed them on the back of his. She caressed the wraps but he could barely feel her touch under them. "Go check on Joan for me. I think she's shut herself away in your room again. Probably talking to her team from Beacon. I think she misses them. I know she misses you too though so if anyone is going to have a chance to get her out, it's her twin brother."

He gave a small nod. "You got it, Violet." He pulled his hands down before walking out of the dojo, sure to wrap his earbuds around his pocket radio. He could feel Violet's eyes on his back the whole way.

* * *

Jaune navigated their house, making his way from the dogo to get towards the bedroom located upstairs. Not to brag, but the Arc house was easily the biggest in the village. Not that they exactly had much competition in that department as they were pretty much just a small farming town located right on the edge of the Vale Kingdom power. For as big as their house was, however, it always somehow managed to feel cramped with all eight siblings and their two parents crammed inside it at once.

While still in the hallway leading from the dojo he heard a small bump from one of the cabinets in the hallway followed by a quiet "ouch."

He gave a long sigh, pretty sure he could feel the headache forming already. It would be so much easier to just ignore it. Too bad Violet would find out if he did. She alwys knew, somehow. So against his better judgement, he called out to the cabinet. "Ciel... that you?"

"Oh! Jaune, it's you! Thank goodness!" The cabinet burst open and his energetic third-eldest sister, Ciel, stumbled out. Her long, messy blue hair flailed wildly and the look of relief in her purple eyes was evident. It wasn't something Jaune spent much time thinking about, but of all his sisters, Ciel was certainly the most beautiful. Unlike the rest of them, she had filled out in a considerably more noticeable way. In particular around the chest and hip areas. Again, it wasn't something he spent much time thinking on.

For all the ways she had grown up, however, she probably acted the most childish of them. Ciel wore a heavy yellow jacket and thick blue winter pants despite the summer heat. With the thick red scarf around her neck, sometimes he wondered if she was self-conscious of her own body. More likely, it was just to hide whatever it was she had planned for her latest prank.

"I thought for sure it was Violet or Olivia." As if to confirm his theory, she gave him a playful wink and pulled out two handfuls of firecrackers from the depths of her jacket. "I didn't want to risk having these bad boys confiscated."

"Violet's going to be really upset if you start a big scare using those things. She's going to know it was you too." Jaune could only shake his head and back away from her covertly. If he wasn't careful she was going to somehow rope him into whatever elaborate plan she was concocting. It never failed in the past.

"Nonsense. I'll just blame it on Amy. Works every time." That had never worked once, as he recalled. Usually it was him that ended up taking the rap for her.

"Amethyst will punch you. Do I need to remind you how scary she got that one time we ruined her headphones? I had no idea she was so fast." Despite himself he couldn't help but smile and shiver at the same time because of the memory.

"Bah, don't be such a buzzkill. I know, how about you help me? For old time's sake!" She grinned brightly as if the idea had just occurred to her but he knew she had been just waiting for the opportunity to spring it on him. She stepped forward and attempted to casually swing her arm around his shoulder but he nimbly skipped out of the way.

"Ah shucks. I would love to Ciel. But Violet's given me a very important task and I don't want to be late." He hiked his thumb behind himself and backpedaled further away.

"Don't try acting like a smooth-talker around me, Jaune. I know how socially awkward you really are. I saw you trying to hit on the neighbor girls the other day! It was hysterical by the way!" He felt his cheeks rapidly heat up, not knowing she had been watching that time. He hadn't been flirting! He had just been...'casually' trying to see if they wanted to go to tonight's banquet with him. What was so wrong with that? Okay, so yeah, maybe he blew it by stuttering all over himself like some hot mess but it wasn't his fault dad's famous pick-up lines hadn't worked and instead got him laughed at. It also didn't help that he was quite sure his sisters had ruined any social skills he might have actually had. They were now the only people he could converse with normally and not make a complete ass out of himself.

"Ah! Ciel! There you are!" A new voice yelled from behind him, saving Jaune from any further embarrassment.

"Shit! Later bro!" Ciel took off running down the other way. By the time he turned to see Olivia sprinting at him, their elder sister was already gone.

"Get back here Ciel!" Olivia's wild green hair waved like tentacles behind her head. She would never catch up to their sister, something they all knew. Olivia's short legs didn't carry her anywhere very quickly.

"I'm older than you! I don't have to listen to anything you say!" Ciel was long gone but her words still echoed down the hallway.

"I'll tell Violet on you!" She slowed to a stop just next to Jaune before fixing the headband that kept her long green hair pushed away from her forehead. She then fixed him with an even stare with dark purple eyes and he gulped despite himself.

"I don't have anything to do with what she's planning! I swear!" He held up his hands on reflex and ducked in surrender. Her eyes lingered on him for several seconds longer in constant scrutinization before relenting.

"I just can't believe Ciel is already twenty-two years old! Geez! She acts like she did back when we were in Beacon!" He was about to remind her that was actually still in Beacon herself before he remembered that she had actually just graduated in the spring. Sometimes it was too much hassle trying to remember what they were all up to. They were literally all over the world sometimes.

"I think she's just bored being stuck at home for the week." He didn't know why but for some reason he tried to defend her anyways.

"Bored!? Does she have any idea how much work needs to be done? There's so much to clean still!" Olivia threw her hands in the air, face twisting in obvious disgust.

"Easy there, neat-freak." Her eyes flashed dangerously at the use of her hated nickname. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It was an accident!" He clapped his hands together and bowed his head once more.

Yet again she let out a sigh and began dusting off his shoulders. "Geez, were you sleeping in the dojo again? Your clothes are filthy." Well, if she was dusting him off she must have forgiven him and almost certainly once again missed the irony in her actions. That kind of stuff always did fly over her head.

"I gotta go check on Joan. Violet's orders. I'll...leave Ciel to you?" He backed out from her reach so she would finally quit picking pieces of dirt off him.

"Oh...you can leave her to me, alright." Olivia cracked her knuckles and her eyes flared dangerously. He really didn't want to know what she was going to make her do. He just hoped it didn't escalate into a fight where they had to use their swords. The last time that happened they had destroyed half the surrounding forest. It hadn't even been over anything serious. Olivia had only wanted to clean Ciel's room for her.

Without another word between them, Olivia took off running after Ciel again. Jaune watched her go until she turned the corner before once again setting out for his own designated task.

* * *

The door to their room was closed.

Jaune and his twin sister, Joan, had shared a single room since their birth. Through all of childhood, puberty, and adolescence, they had seen everything of one another. Every step of the way they had been there for one another. Up until they were about fifteen years old they would occasionally sleep in the same bed. Despite all of this, he still found himself automatically giving a polite knock before entering. It wasn't something he would have done in the past. It was a change that happened only after Joan started attending Beacon.

"Come in!" His sister called and he cracked the door open. The moment she saw him her face lit up in a big smile. "Oh Jaune! Come here, come here!" She waved him forward, whole body practically bouncing in her seat.

Despite the fact that she was home, she was still wearing her Beacon uniform. As if she couldn't wait to go back. Despite how much she hadn't wanted to go at first. Her golden blonde hair was shoulder length and messy in the same way his was and they had matching blue eyes. That was about where the similarities ended. He was taller than her now, shoulders more broad. She had filled out in different ways, if not quite as much as their sister Ciel.

The look of unbridled excitement on her face reminded of his own in the mirror when he heard all seven of his sisters were coming home again. Although he didn't know what was causing hers. "Ah, alright?" Jaune tilted his head as he walked up to her desk. Placed on a small stand was her scroll and he could see someone's face being displayed through a video call. "Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt." He almost started to retreat but Joan grabbed him by the wrist faster than he could and yanked him forward.

"Nonsense! You're not interrupting! I keep trying to introduce you two but it never works out!" Joan pointed to the screen and he smiled awkwardly at the redheaded girl who did the same back. "Pyrrha! This is my twin brother, Jaune! The one I'm always telling you about!"

"Nice to meet you." Pyrrha nodded respectfully, the green jewels attached to golden chains on either side of her head swinging with the motion.

"Jaune!" Joan nudged him repeatedly in the ribs, causing his face to contort numerous times. "This is Pyrrha Nikos! My partner at Beacon." The girl on the other end looked to be trying not to laugh at the faces he kept making.

"Uhh... hey." He lifted his hand in some kind of half-assed wave and felt the heat already rising to his face. He didn't know what Joan had told this gorgeous girl in front of him but some of it had to be embarrassing. As if the faces he was making already wasn't bad enough.

"You know who she is, right?" Joan prodded him roughly in the ribs again, this time gazing up expectantly. Problem was, he didn't have the slightest clue what she was talking about.

"She's... your partner…?" One eye squinted and he tilted his head to the side as his voice went up an octave.

Joan gave a small snort, spittle splashing onto her scroll's screen. "I already said that, you dork. How about this? Did you know she's also the four time Mistral Regional Champion?"

"Ummm... Congratulations." That certainly sounded impressive. The only thing he was the champion of was their village's local pig races and that was because Violet was banned from them because she always won.

"You don't even know what that is, do you?" Joan knowingly called him out.

"Not a clue." He could only admit, head falling in shame.

His twin's eye sparkled and he knew she was about to get to the point. "What if I told you she was on the cover of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Cereal?"

Jaune's jaw unhinged. "That's you!?" He held his hands up to his mouth and had to keep from prancing around in place. When he looked at the redhead on the screen it was in a whole new light. Now he saw it too, only after Joan had pointed it out.

He didn't think his reaction was all that funny, but Pyrrha apparently did as she burst into laughter. "You weren't lying." She barely managed to get those words out. "His reaction! It was the exact same as yours when we met!" She held her side and wiped away a small tear that had formed.

"I told you! We don't just look alike! We act alike too!" Joan giggled as she pulled Jaune into a headlock and rubbed his hair affectionately. Well, at least this girl wasn't laughing at him because he made a dunce of himself. He had been really embarrassed there for a minute too.

"Well, it was nice talking to you again, Joan. I'll see you next week when classes at Beacon start back up?" Pyrrha finally managed to regain her composure only to decide to end the call.

"Of course. I can't wait to see you all again. Take care, Pyrrha." Joan gave a small wave and reached forward to pick up the scroll.

"Goodbye, Joan. It was nice meeting you, Jaune." A moment later the call ended and her face disappeared.

"...Bye." Jaune mumbled too late and blushed again as Joan continued to giggle at him.

"Don't go getting a crush on her, bro. She's my best friend." He pulled his head free from her grasp and matted his hair back into its usual mess.

"I-I am not crushing on your partner!" He crossed his arm and tilted his head away. A small snort of laughter slipped past Joan's lips before his own mouth curled up in a smile and he began laughing along with her.

He plopped down on her bed and swung his feet in the air. "I miss this. Having all of you around." He admitted before stretching his hands in the air. It wasn't something he would say to anyone else. It wasn't something he _could_ say to anyone else. She was the only one.

"Me too…" Joan smiled as she looked around the room. It had been a long time since they had spent any time together in here. Since she had moved to Beacon, really. Now that he thought about it, when she had started Signal she had been so terrified of having to go out and meet others without him she had practically begged their parents to allow him to attend with her. They had been adamant in their refusal.

Of course they had been. He couldn't be a Huntsmen. With his hands the way they were he could never wield a weapon properly. His grip was still too weak from when the glyphs had been inscribed, something that would never heal. He didn't have a Semblance...well, technically he did. He could break the Seven Sacred Arc Swords. That was the one thing he could do... the only thing he could do. No one else in the world was capable of such a thing. However, the odds of there ever being a chance that he needed to do such a thing were pretty much zero.

So instead he was cooped up at this house to train pointlessly for something he was never expected to even have to do. Meanwhile his sisters got to go out and save the world in style with their swords that could literally take down an entire kingdom if they felt so inclined.

He shook off the depressing train of thought. He was supposed to be happy for his sisters! It was just selfish of him to be down on himself when they were being celebrated for their accomplishments. Still, it was amazing how much Joan had changed since back then. "You... really became close to that Pyrrha girl."

"Of course." Joan fiddled with her scroll and he could see a picture of her with the rest of the team she had been assigned to. "I grew close to all of them on team JNPR. I'm their leader after all so I have to care about them."

"Somehow I think it's more than that." She wouldn't look at them like that if it was only an obligation.

"You're right." Joan smiled, not at all surprised he had seen right through her. "They're my first real friends I've made since I left home. Well, them and team RWBY. Have I told you anything about them?"

He racked his brain, trying to remember the messages she sent him forever ago. Back when she used to message him everyday. "Is that the team led by that prodigy girl that created a crater in the ground on her first day?"

"That's the one." They both shared another small laugh. There were just so many amazing stories and different people they all met. Once again, he felt a small pang of jealousy in the back of his mind and did his best to squash it. "So what's up? Did you come to see me for something in particular or did you just want to hang out?"

"Ah, that's right." Jaune held up his finger as he only just remembered. It had been so much fun just talking to her again he had already forgotten why he came to see her in the first place. It used to be he didn't need a reason. "Violet wanted me to get you so we could help with the setup for tonight."

"We probably shouldn't keep her waiting then, huh? I don't want to be on the receiving end of one of her lectures." Joan hopped to her feet and made her way towards the door.

"Her lectures are never that bad." He followed after her.

"You only say that because she has a soft spot for you." Joan glanced back at him, this time appearing to be the jealous one of the two. "Trust me, she's way more harsh on the rest of us. She's even grilled poor Rouge before and you know how fragile she is, yet I've never seen her get that cross with you."

"...Is that so?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

"It's very so!" She shouted, not believing him for a second.

* * *

He had never seen their village in such an uproar.

Domremy had always been rather small farming village. Maybe five shops in total and only a handful of homes he could count between all his fingers and toes. There was only a single train station running through it. Not even an airport. At least the next town over was considerably more exciting and only a short ride away. It had everything you could want; movie theatre, arcade, shopping mall. The most exciting building they had here was the giant church he and his sisters used to play hide and seek in.

For as big as the neighboring town was, that was nothing compared to their village right at this moment. Everyone and he meant everyone was scurrying around doing some job or another in preparation for the festivities to be held later that night. News vehicles were being flown in and the Huntsmen in charge of security were scouring for any kind of outside threats. It was the craziest he had seen their quiet little village in... well, ever.

It had been a long time since the Arcs had contributed something this monumental to society, which wasn't very surprising when he thought about it. They weren't exactly at war anymore and it was hard for a family of knights to really stand-out in times of peace. There was also the fact that it was the first time all seven of the sacred swords had been wielded in tandem. It only made sense now that they were his sisters would accomplish something worthy of note.

"Big brother! Joan! This way!" The twins paused their patrol and looked around for the source of the voice before they spotted their youngest sister waving them over. They navigated the crowds up to her to see a series of pots and ingredients laid out on a table just next to her.

"What's Violet got you doing, Rouge?" Jaune reached his hand forward and affectionately rubbed her red hair, causing her pigtails to bounce slightly as he did. She was by far the cutest of their sisters. At fifteen years old, she still dressed the most girly of all his sisters, wearing a fluffy pink sweatshirt and long red skirt. She was also by far the most petite, both in size and frame. Something he secretly wished she never grew out of.

She gave a big smile at the sign of affection before gesturing to the full table, her yellow eyes skimming across it all to take it in. "Violet wants me to make stew for everyone." Now that he was paying closer attention, the pot was full of boiling water but there was no visible sign of a fire.

"Are you using your sword to heat it?" He tilted his head beneath the table and could see Fia Vesta propped up against the leg.

"...Maybe." She admitted bashfully as she swung her hips from side to side and twirled her thumbs in front of herself.

Unbelievable. One of the most powerful swords in the world and she was using it as a cooking fire. So this was why she had been such a terrible cook when they were younger. Everything made sense to him now. Thankfully, her control had gotten better over time, but there had been some near close calls in the past with their youngest sister's idea of "cooking" if you could even so much as call it that.

"Hey! Jaune! Are you picking on Rouge again!?" He gave a tired sigh as he turned to see his next younger sister, Autumn sprinting full-force up to them. Her orange twintails whipped violently behind her and he could practically see the agitation in her green eyes.

"You know I've never picked on Rouge a day in my life, Autumn. I'm always nice to her." He placed a hand on his hip and gave her a challenging glare.

"Huh. As if I would believe you!" Autumn grumbled as she rounded the table and wrapped her arms protectively around their youngest sister.

"Big brother is telling the truth. He is always very kind." Thank you Rouge! Seriously, why couldn't both of his younger sisters give him respect? Why was it only the one?

"You're just saying that. You don't have to stick up for him." His eye twitched and he fought the urge to verbal rebut her. And she had been so sweet as a child. Why did puberty have to strike? Why!?

"Don't be so hard on your big bro, Autumn." Joan leaned over the table and flicked her playfully in the forehead. "One day you're going to need his help and he's going to ignore you if you keep treating him like that."

"Hmph! Not likely." Autumn turned her nose up and the three of them gave a collective sigh.

"Well, I just hope you haven't abandoned the job Violet gave you." Joan gave Jaune a sideways wink, already dealing with the problem for him. "She won't be happy if she finds out you're slacking."

Autumn's face went pale at her words. "Oh crap! I was supposed to be setting up the chairs!" She took off running back from the way she came.

"...I guess I'll help her out. You want to help Rouge prepare the stew?" Joan was already walking away as she asked.

"Sounds good. I'll see you later sis." He gave a small wave, not even sure she heard him.

"Later bro! Be good, Rouge!" She called over her shoulder, relieving him of that fear.

"Yes Joan!" Their youngest sister gave a very polite wave before returning to her own work. "Thank you for assisting me, big brother. It is most appreciated." She said before he even started cutting the carrots.

"Don't mention it." Jaune got started immediately so as to be worthy of her gratitude. As he lifted the knife to begin cutting though, his hand gave a small shock of pain and his fingers spasmed, causing him to drop the knife. "Tch." He grit his teeth and his eyes squeezed shut for only a second as the pain vanished as quickly as it came.

"Are you unwell?" Rouge reached over and grabbed the hand that had been holding the knife comfortingly.

"I'm fine. Just my old scars acting up a little is all." He flexed his fingers before gingerly picking the knife back up with Rouge's hand still placed on top of his.

"Perhaps you should take the wraps off? It might do your hands well to get some fresh air."

"No, that's okay." He shook his head and his gaze focused on the white wraps. "Wouldn't want to freak the guests out with all those gross-looking scars. They're better hidden away."

"If anyone has anything to say about the state of your hands, they can talk to me!" Rouge puffed her chest out with pride and he gave a small laugh and once more jostled her hair affectionately with his free hand. As funny as the thought was, he could never actually picture his sister giving someone a piece of her mind. She was far too polite for something like that.

The two of them set back to work, him fixing up all the ingredients and her dividing them between several pots before heating them with the power of her sword. It was nice, cooking with her again. It was just like the old times. Before his sisters became the famous heroines that they were today.

He missed those days.

* * *

Fireworks burst in the sky as the festivities continued on into the night.

Jaune stood with his hand in his pockets and stared up at the spectacular light display.

He tilted his head down to the main table and could see his sisters chatting amicably with important figures from the four kingdoms. Ever since the actual event had started he had been separated from them. They had been far too busy with all the speeches, constant photos and interviews. There was no place for him up there among them while all that was going on.

Oh well, it wasn't all bad. At least he got to eat plenty of the food in peace. He gave a small smile and once more went back to watching the fireworks. Yeah, this wasn't so bad.

Even if it was only for this week at least he got to spend time with them again. It wasn't a long time but maybe for just a little he could relive the old days with them? Before they went back to save the world again anyways. Although Joan, Autumn, and Rouge would be going back to finish school first. It was probably enough having saved the world once before graduating. That was more than most could claim for sure.

His thoughts were interrupted violently as someone staggered into him and nearly knocked him over. "Oh...shorry about that...hic." Jaune turned around to see one of the Huntsmen that was supposedly guarding the whole event, not that he could be doing a very good job as drunk as he was.

"No worries." He took a small step back away from the man, the alcohol on his breath making even him woozy just from the smallest inhale.

"Shooo….who're you supposed to be?" Unfortunately for him, he had apparently caught the man's interest as he stumbled once more up to him and attempted to drape an arm over his shoulder.

He nimbly stepped to the side and hiked his thumb towards the main table. "I'm their brother."

The man paused and looked at where he was pointing and then back to Jaune. Then he did it once more. "...They had a brother?"

Typical. No one had ever heard of him. It wouldn't be so bad if this wasn't the forty-eighth time he heard that exact same line tonight. Yes, he was keeping count. Hell, some of the people that said that were local villagers! You would think they knew he existed seeing as they were all practically neighbors here.

Screw it. He didn't really care. It didn't matter if other random people knew who he was. His sisters did and that was all that was important to him.

...But did they really?

A small voice asked in the back of his brain.

They were gone all the time now. Barely home anymore. Joan and him used to be inseparable but now she had made those new friends at Beacon. Meanwhile, he was just as reclusive as ever. Couldn't even talk to the neighbor girls properly. He had spent his eighteenth birthday all alone, with nothing but a small text from most of them and a video-chat with Joan.

Why... hadn't he been chosen? Why did the swords not want to work for him? What had he done that made him incompatible? Why did he need these glyphs etched onto his hands? If it wasn't for them he could have at least tried to become a Huntsmen like them. That was impossible now. He would never be able to properly wield a weapon and he would never have a proper Semblance. The only thing he could do was break their swords, their ancient family heirlooms.

Like he was ever going to be needed to do that. His sisters were unstoppable. No one was ever going to beat them so why did he need these stupid things on his hands? It was just insurance. That was all he was to the family, insurance. Deep down he knew that wasn't true. His sisters loved him…

...but they had more important things in their lives now than to just spend time with him. They were important to the world now, after all.

With a tired sigh he began to walk away from the ongoing festivities. He needed a break from everything.

"Alright everyone!" The village leader had taken the stage as he vanished into the darkness of the village. "With the fireworks concluded, get ready for a real show! The Arc Sisters have agreed to show off some of their moves!" The crowd erupted into a deafening roar... but he was no longer a part of it.

As he walked back towards home he passed a small garden with a pond that was reflecting the moon's light. It was nice and quiet, almost surreal. Completely different from the blaring noise coming from the village centre. He walked to the edge of the pond and just stared at his own reflection.

Tonight was about them. So why did he feel the need to resent that? He should be happy for them. Yet just once...he wished he could actually do something meaningful for them. If only that feeling wasn't born from the wish to have his own time in the spotlight. Then he could have been okay with it.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw several flashes of light flicker more brightly than usual from the town centre followed by several loud explosions. Oh man, they were really going all out for the crowd. He heard the screams of excitement... yet something was off. Was that really excitement he was hearing?

It sounded more like... terror.

The ground beneath his feet shook so violently he nearly stumbled over. There were several more bright flashes that were clearly explosions now that he was really paying attention. A wave of heat rolled over him as the deafening boom reached his ears.

Was the event... under attack?

There was no way.

No one was insane enough to try and attack his sisters while they were all gathered in one place. They were the most powerful force in the world. It was sheer arrogance to think you had a shot against them. Yet the explosions continued on along with the screams for help. He... he couldn't just stand around here and do nothing. What help was he going to be? He knew a little martial arts, not that he had ever taken his lessons seriously. He didn't have a weapon. He would just be a burden if he ran in. His sisters would handle it. Surely they would handle it.

Yet another explosion. They were getting closer.

Finally deciding he couldn't stand around any longer he took off running right for the source of all the chaos. Even if he couldn't fight he could at least help someone escape. It might not be much but if he could save even one life it would be worth having stuck his neck into the thick of it. He just hoped his hesitation hadn't cost lives instead.

He rounded the corner and started down the street that would lead him back towards the village centre. Just then there was another wave of heat so powerful it nearly knocked him backwards. The skin on his upper arms blistered on the spot and he grit his teeth, trying to fight off the pain. Through the haze of rolling heat he tried to see anything in front of him.

What he did manage to see wasn't good. Everything was on fire. The buildings, the trees, even other people. His eyes widened in shock as he saw them. He was too late. Despite the fact that they weren't moving he ran up to them anyways. Before he even got close he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt they were dead. Their clothes had been fused together with their charred flesh and they were barely reminiscent of what they looked like while alive.

This... this was just so... wrong.

Who would do this? And why? Tonight had been a night of celebration. These people had just been having the time of their lives... and now they were dead. How was that even right? That wasn't fair. He clenched his hands and turned fiercely back towards where all this chaos had started. Through the haze of heat... another small figure was walking down the middle of the road. He squinted his eyes through it, trying to make out the obscured figure.

All at once she came into focus. His eyes widened. "Rouge!"

She was alive! His youngest sister was okay! A huge grin broke out across his face as he jogged up to her. Before he got no more than twenty feet away he slowed to a stop.

Something... was wrong.

Her rapier was drawn but her stance was completely relaxed and her eyes were gazing around anywhere but at him, as if she was just admiring the bright flames of their burning village. Most disturbing was the huge grin plastered across her face.

This wasn't right.

Warning bells went off inside his head but he didn't pay them any heed.

"Rouge…" Instead he whispered her name and slowly lifted his hand.

She must have heard him this time because her head whipped around and the moment she saw him her bright smile grew even bigger and became more twisted. "Oh... big brother. It's you." She spoke as if she was in a trance. Her voice was slow and almost hypnotic sounding.

"What are you doing... Rouge?"

She tilted her head as if it was the most odd thing he had ever asked.

"I'm making the world brighter, big brother." She then let out an insane giggle.

A noise his sister would never make.

Was she... the one doing this?

No, that wasn't possible.

He refused to believe it.

"Hey, hey, big brother!" Rouge began to hop around as if she just had the best idea. "Would you do me the biggest favor?"

There must have been something wrong with him. For half-a-second he almost told her he would do anything. After all, she was still his precious little sister. Before he could formulate a more proper response she was already talking again as Fia Vesta pointed right at him.

"Burst into flames for me."

At those words, a pillar of fire erupted from the tip her of rapier and surged right towards him.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** And there are his sisters!

Was this even decent enough as just an introduction? Omakes start at the end of chapter four, once the main plot of the story really gets moving. I call them omakes but they'll be canon to the story so that's not quite the correct word. Those will be set at varying points of their lives while they are growing up. I figure I'll need those as I'm guessing this wasn't enough to get you invested in them yet.

For the record, these are their names and ages in order from eldest:

Violet - 25  
Amethyst - 23  
Ciel - 22  
Olivia - 21  
Joan - 18  
Jaune - 18  
Autumn - 17  
Rouge - 16

Each of their names and corresponding hair color are representative of a shade of the rainbow. Originally I wanted to do red as the eldest but that would have left Jaune with two older sisters and four younger sisters... kind of hard to make a real threat from a bunch of teenagers that haven't even graduated Beacon so I went in reverse and made Violet the eldest. Hopefully that helps keep them straight. It'll be pretty rare that more than two of them are in a chapter at a time. At least for some time. Once we get closer to the end they'll appear together much more frequently.

Joan took Jaune's place in Canon and many of the events he went through still happened to some varying differences, just with her. Obviously his sisters became involved in the White Fang conspiracy and ended it together instead of RWBY being the driving force behind bringing them down.

As for Jaune, I tried to keep him as similar to the guy in canon that we know but obviously some things had to change. If he came off as incredibly OoC I would appreciate it if you let me know. I stress over this because yes this is AU but I want the changes to come across as realistic without warping the integrity of the actual characters we've come to love.

Thanks once again to Jefardi for helping me with the planning and certain details of this chapter. He's been a big help in getting this story off the ground and running.


	3. Jaune vs Rouge

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Jaune vs Rouge_

* * *

" _Jaune... those glyphs on your hands are special. Do you understand that? I know the pain from the inscription is still excruciating but it was an important ritual. Even if the day never comes when you have to use them it is still imperative that someone has those glyphs inscribed on their hands._

" _Shatter Glyphs. That's their proper title. We call them that because they have the ability to shatter the Seven Sacred Arc Swords and anything they create. It's not an ability to use lightly but it gives you a distinct advantage over everyone else in the world when facing one of the swords."_

" _How does it do that? Hmm... well, I guess it's because they're living weapons._

" _Living weapons are different than ordinary ones. All living things on Remnant except for the Grimm have an Aura. Most weapons utilize Dust to enhance their capabilities. The Seven Sacred Arc Swords though don't use Dust because they have their own Aura, or Ambience as it is called for them. Your Shatter Glyphs react to that Ambience and kill it._

" _You must be careful though. The older someone, or in this case, something is, the larger its Aura reserves become and the Seven Sacred Arc Swords have hundreds of years of Ambient energy stored inside of them now. You have one glyph in each hand. If you use one it is going to be thirty seconds before you can use it again. That's why you have two. Use your first glyph to break through their attack and the second to shatter the blade._

" _At least that's the strategy that has been passed down. No one has ever actually been in a situation where they had to put it into practice. Hopefully you aren't either. If you ever arem there's no guarantee it will go that smoothly._

" _Just be prepared, Jaune. You may have to... improvise."_

Improvise? Just how had his father expected him to improvise around this?

A wall of fire was incinerating everything in its path as it surged right for him. He was going to die... by his own sister's hand. Why? What reason did she have to do this? And the way she had said that? Only his sister could say something so evil like "Burst into flames for me!" and make it look absolutely adorable.

Their whole village was on fire. All of it caused by his youngest sister. The one person he thought could never hurt anyone. She always looked so innocent. Her yellow eyes were always filled with such sincerity, such kindness. He could still remember her earlier today, smiling brightly while he pat her head and caused those red pigtails to bounce. Bad people didn't wear bright pink sweatshirts as they sent a torrent of flame flying in your direction.

The searing heat was so unbearable he was pretty sure he would turn into ashes far before the actual flames reached him. At least, that was what he thought... until bright white light began to surge out from his outstretched hand, slipping out from in-between the wraps that concealed his skin. The raging inferno in front of him continued forward and just as it struck his hand-

It vanished.

With a loud noise that he could only compare to an electrical guitar, the wall of fire vanished as if it had never even been there. Taking away all the heat that had come with it. The glowing from his hand had also disappeared where the high pitched scream had originated from.

Did the Shatter Glyph... do that? It was the only thing that made sense, but this was the first time he had ever been forced to use that power. It might be the first time anyone had used this power.

Rouge stood completely still, a look of bewilderment on her face. The rapier, Fia Vesta, was still pointed directly at him. So he had destroyed the flames being immediately generated by her sword, but not the weapon itself? He had thirty seconds before he could use the glyph in his right hand again which meant if he charged now he would only have the one in his left hand to work with.

But before that... should he really even be attacking his sister? He still didn't understand what was going on. He couldn't just run forward without knowing anything. Maybe there was a way to fix this? He couldn't just go breaking the sword at the first sign of trouble. Every effort should be made to secure it instead.

"Why…?" Rouge stumbled forward. He took a step away from her. The look in her yellow eyes frightened him. "Why didn't you burst into flames? You were supposed to make the world a brighter place!" She waved her rapier in place and another blast of fire shot out from the tip. This time toward one of the flaming houses instead. That house exploded into pieces. Hunks of flaming debris shot in all directions.

Jaune didn't have time to dodge.

Even with a glyph charge still active, he couldn't block this. Collateral damage wasn't something his glyphs could destroy. Only things directly generated by the sword itself. He attempted to twist out of the way but was still incapable of not being hit by several hunks of the burning wood. Searing pain fried his ribs, shoulder and knee and he was blasted off his feet. With a barely audible thump, he crashed onto the ground and gasped for breath. The only thing he was able to inhale was smoke, sending him into a fit of wretched coughs.

"Kahaha!" Rouge gave a small chortle and spun around spreading her arms wide as a huge grin plastered itself across her face. "Brighter! Brighter! I want the whole world to see how bright it is!"

"Now's our chance!" Two adult huntsmen sprinted past the downed blond. He hadn't even seen where they came from. "She's used far too Dust! She must be about out!"

Panic filled Jaune. "No! Don't!" They didn't understand. That sword didn't use Dust. None of them did. They used Ambient energy and there was no way Fia Vesta was out on just that paltry display. It was like the sword had a Semblance of its own and that gave it the ability to rapidly heat the air and manipulate fire at the user's will.

"She's killed people! We're putting an end to her right here!" The Huntsmen apparently misunderstood his warning shout, but now he had another concern. These men intended to harm Rouge. Maybe even kill her. They didn't care about her at all. They were just trying to stop the threat in front of them.

"No! Stop! She's my sister! There has to be another way!" Jaune stumbled to his feet. The pain from his burns immediately brought him back down. Dammit! He tried to swear aloud, instead only succeeding in spitting dirt.

Why was he so weak now of all times!? These men intended to kill his sister and he was just going to lay on the ground and let it happen?

Of course, he was forgetting one thing. Rouge didn't need his help. The Huntsmen leapt in the air. Their weapons unloaded rounds of powerful Dust bullets. Rouge merely waved Fia Vesta and a wall of fire protected her.

The Huntsmen burst through the flames, their Aura shielding them from any real damage. They landed directly in front of his youngest sister, their weapons raised high in the air. Rouge skipped back but there was no way she could escape in time. The weapons came down, aiming to kill.

The tip of Fia Vesta exploded outwards in a violent tornado of fire that engulfed all three of them. Jaune couldn't tell if anyone got out in time, the spinning vortex far too bright.

The roaring destructive force sent searing wind ripping through the village, tearing houses apart and further spreading the flames. Finally the unnatural flaming tornado slowed to a stop and only a wave of rolling smoke was left in its place. Jaune spread himself lower on the ground to keep from inhaling the residual smoke and did his best to see through it. It was no good. He still couldn't see anything.

He crawled against the dirt, his right leg still partially limp, but Aura working on patching it back up. It would only be another couple seconds before he could walk again. Until the smoke cleared, he was restricted to the ground anyways.

As he got close, a rancid smell reached his nose and caused him to gag. The smoke was just now beginning to clear from the area and only one person was standing about five feet away.

Rouge was alive. Of course she was. That sword should have scorched her too, but her Semblance had prevented that. Her Semblance was a shield that gave her unique protection against extreme temperatures. Perhaps that was why the sword choose her to begin with? Because she could use it without risk to herself.

He could see her yellow eyes clearly now. They were glazed over, and staring at the ground just next to him. He had been crawling across a rut in the ground created by one of her blasts of fire. Peaking just over the top of it, he saw two still smoking bodies. The huntsmen.

They were dead. And yet he felt like that was putting it lightly.

Their limbs had been reduced to nothing but ashes. Only their torsos and weapons remained, but even those things were charred black and crumbling apart. In a single attack, his sixteen-year-old sister had incinerated two powerful Huntsmen like they were flies. Such was the power of Fia Vesta, even in the hands of a child its power was beyond compare.

Rouge gave a small snort. "Kaha! Kahahaha!" She grabbed her side and threw her head back as she let out a loud laughter that filled the air. The burning buildings around them reacted to it. One of them collapsed, the fire inside cackling and spitting.

Jaune grit his hands together so hard the scars on them ached. He ignored the pain and glared at only one thing, his focus shifting to that and that alone.

Fia Vesta.

That rapier had to go. He had been hesitant to destroy something with so much history to his family but now he had witnessed it murder two people, turning them to ash, and making it so no one would ever recognize them again.

He pushed himself off the ground and stood firmly in front of his sister, leg having been completely healed by Aura. "Rouge. Hand over that sword." He extended his hand and held it open in front of him.

Her loud laughter slowed down to an occasional giggle. She looked him directly in the eyes and continued to grin wickedly. "Are you finally ready to turn into fire, big brother?"

"You are not my little sister." Her smile faltered. "I don't know who you are, but the sweet, little girl I know would never hurt anyone, let alone laugh at their deaths. Now give me that sword so I can break it."

"I'm... not your sister?" Her head tilted and he saw her eyes flicker as the glazed looked vanished and reappeared. Her mouth twisted and she looked down at the sword in her hand. "Ah... ah, ah, ah." Realization seemed to dawn on her, voice going up several octaves. "That's right. That's right. I'm not Rouge. Why did I forget that? What... happened?" She paused, looking back up at Jaune, eyes imploring him for answers.

He had none to give her.

Those yellow eyes than settled on his hands and slowly her expression changed again. This time taking the shape of murderous rage completely unfit for the face of the sweet girl who wore it. "You think you can destroy me?" She snarled. "Just try it!" There was a shift.

Another twister of fire burst from the tip of the rapier.

The moment the flames reached his hand it began glowing with a bright light.

There was another loud scream like before, originating from his glyphs.

The fire sputtered out of existence. Rouge's eyes widened and Jaune lunged forward with his other hand extended. She jumped backwards and just barely managed to keep him from coming into contact with her sword. "No! Stay away from me!" In a desperate attempt she blasted him with another wave of fire.

He raised his left hand and once more cancelled out her flame. No glyph charges left, he bent his head low and tackled into her gut. They tumbled and both were sent sprawling to the ground. Fia Vesta slipped from her grip, clattering only a couple feet away. He pushed off her and dove for it.

He touched the hilt of the sword but nothing happened.

His Glyphs were both still on cooldown.

He had another twenty-five seconds before he was going to be able to destroy the sword.

"Get away from me!" Rouge shrieked and picked up a burning piece of wood. His eyes widened in terror as she swung it down at him. He rolled out of the way and barely managed to dodge. It smashed the ground and heat from the end singed his hair. "Give me back! Give me back! Give me back!" Rouge continued to shout, each time swinging the burning piece of wood like a club, attempting to bash his brains in. Each time he barely dodged by rolling just a couple inches left or right.

Twenty seconds until he could use a glyph again.

He kicked and by some miracle caught her in the shin. She stumbled to her knee and he rolled forward, swinging Fia Vesta. It knocked the piece of wood from Rouge's hand but the force of the clash caused his own hand to seize with pain. His grip on Fia Vesta loosened and it fell, hitting the ground and rolling away.

Fifteen seconds.

"It's mine!" Rouge roared as they both dove for it at the same time, grabbing the hilt simultaneously. "Get your hands off of me!" She elbowed him in the ribs but he refused to let go again, despite the horrid pain surging through his hands just to maintain a grip. He stumbled to his knees and pulled the sword to him, his superior bodyweight pulling Rouge up with him. "I said let me go!"

Ten seconds.

A spark flashed from the tip. Then a pillar of fire erupted and shot skywards. The heat from the flames burned his hands and face, but still he did not let go. The pillar reached far above the buildings before it split into dozens of smaller streaks that all angled and bent back down towards the earth.

Five seconds.

The first streak struck the ground fifteen feet away and caused a minor explosion. Then another one hit a house and caused it to collapse. Another fell a street over. They continued to rain down all over their tiny village.

One second.

He was going to do it! His glyph was about to activate and he could destroy the sword. Just as that thought formed, one of the streaks struck right next to their feet. The explosion knocked both of them sideways and broke his grip on Fia Vesta.

He fell face first into the dirt. Ringing filled his ears and white boxed in the sides of his vision. He shook his head and pushed himself off the ground. Rouge was doing the same, once more shouting things that he could no longer hear.

She was close. He could still do this. His first glyph was active. He had just another three seconds before his other was.

He pushed off his feet and extended his hand. Rouge blasted him with fire. His right hand cancelled it out. He extended his other hand. Rouge thrust Fia Vesta forward. It pierced the palm, ripping through his wraps and popping out the other side. He grit his teeth and pushed past the pain, shoving his hand halfway down the blade. Blood stained the whole of the sword, flowing freely from the hole in his hand.

Rouge's eyes widened and she tried to pull the sword free. It was no good, his hand too far in. Through the pain he let out a big grin. The glyph on his left hand reactivated and began to glow a bright light.

There was a bright flash and another ear-piercing shriek.

The sword was also enveloped in the same white light before it shattered apart into thousands of tiny little light fragments, some of them flying out from the now empty hole in his hand.

Just like that, he broke the indestructible.

The light fragments dangled in the air for several seconds, he and Rouge watching them as they faded out of existence one by one. In a matter of seconds, no trace was left of Fia Vesta.

Now there were only Six Sacred Arc Swords.

For the first time since their creation, one of them had been broken. Jaune was the first one in a long line of descendents to have to use the power inscribed onto his hands.

Rouge let out a small moan and collapsed forward. He reached forward and caught her with his right hand, his left hand still to sore to properly support her. Her head rolled against his shoulder and as gently as possible he lowered to their knees. "Uhh... w-what happened?" She lifted her head off his shoulder and her clear, yellow eyes looked up at him. "Big brother? Where am I?"

"Rouge…?" He didn't understand what was going on. Just a second ago she had been screaming angrily and lashing out violently, and before that laughing like a maniac while burning down everything in sight. Now... she reminded him exactly of the little sister he always knew.

She looked around and let out a loud gasp before attempting to get to her feet. She barely got halfway up before she collapsed again. "Rouge! Slow down! What's going on?"

"T-that is what I want to know…" Rouge grimaced and gripped the side of her face as if she had a horrible headache. Despite himself, he soothingly tousled her red hair, causing her pigtails to bounce. "Why is our village on fire?"

She really didn't know? "Rouge... you did this." He regretted saying those words the moment they left his mouth. Rouge's eyes widened and she completely took in the desolate scene around them.

"No... no, no, no." She shook her head. "No, I didn't do this. I couldn't have done this. I was just with the rest of our sisters... we were showing off our swords' powers…" The words died on her lips as she caught sight of the two smoking corpses. "That... was not me." Her breathing became ragged and irregular. She doubled over and brought her hands to her mouth before giving a disgusting wretch and emptying the contents of her stomach.

Jaune tightened his grip around her and tears formed in the corner of his eyes. There was no way Rouge had truly done this. How could he believe she had meant for any of this looking at her now? Something had happened to her. Something must have.

"Fia Vesta... where is my sword?" She wiped her mouth in an attempt to get rid of the remaining vomit while reaching instinctively for her hip where she normally kept her rapier.

"I... destroyed it. I didn't have a choice, Rouge." He would have died if he hadn't. More people would have died. Rouge would have had that many more lives on her conscious.

She shook her head and gripped the front of his shirt. For the first time she looked at him and her eyes darted over him. He was covered in burns and soot, not to mention his Aura still hadn't managed to fix the hole in his hand. "Big brother... I did this to you? I did all this?" He felt his heart break. Her voice cracked and tears freely rolled down her cheeks.

His little sister was hurting right now. She was in so much pain being faced with the reality in front of her. He had to comfort her. He couldn't let her believe this was her fault. No one needed that kind of weight on their shoulders, let alone a sixteen-year-old girl. Especially one as innocent and kind as her. "No! This wasn't you! It was…"

What was it then? What caused her to do this? Think, dammit! Think! Why would she do something so twisted and evil? She hadn't stopped until he had broken her sword-

...wait a second! Had her sword caused this? They were living weapons with a soul of their own, after all. Was it possible that the soul in her sword had taken over her body? If that was the case-

"Where are the others?" He asked.

"W-what?" Rouge flinched, his grip on her arms tightened.

"Our sisters? Do you remember where they went?" Several more explosions originating from different parts of the village shook the ground.

Oh no. Why? Why? Why? It hadn't just been Rouge this had happened to, had it? All his sisters had been affected. That's why they hadn't tried to stop her. That's why other Huntsmen weren't converging on this spot. They were fighting his other sisters.

He had to hurry. This was his job. It was up to him to end this. That was why he had these hands. However, he had one more job to do before that. He was also Rouge's big brother. He couldn't just abandon her when she was like this. "Rouge... you didn't do this. None of this was you."

"B-but you said-"

"Forget what I said! Listen to what I'm saying now." He pulled her into him and stroked her hair. The way he held her brought up a memory from a long time ago, one in which Violet held him this exact same way and whispered soothing words into his ears. She told him he would never have to use these hands for battle. Now he told Rouge she hadn't brought about this calamity. "You aren't the one at fault. I promise you that none of this is your fault." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to go bring back the rest of our sisters... you have to go hide."

She pulled back. "No! Don't leave me! I don't want to be left alone!"

"Rouge…" He cupped her cheek and continued to whisper in a calm but stern voice, doing his best to emulate Violet. "...go hide. Somewhere no one will find you. Don't come out for anyone except me. No matter who they are or what they say. It's not safe for you." He had no idea if other Huntsmen would still try to kill her and his own sisters' were now unpredictable.

"You... you will come back for me, right?" She clung desperately to his shirt.

"Of course I will. I'll come back with all our sisters." He patted her head once more and got to his feet. "Now go hide. I'll come find you."

She nodded vigorously as she scrambled to her own feet. Giving him one last look, she took off running down the burning street. He watched her go until she disappeared into the smoke and night. Once she was out of sight, fatigue and pain hit him all at once. His burns ached and the hole in his hand throbbed.

Could he still really keep fighting? Rouge was the youngest and arguably weakest of his seven sisters. Yet even then she had worn him out this much. Now that he thought about it, it was a miracle he had lived at all. She had murdered two Huntsmen without batting an eye. The only reason he had pulled that off were the glyphs in his hands. It had been pure luck.

It would be an impossible task to repeat that another six times against stronger opponents. Yet, he couldn't back down now. His sisters needed him. For the first time in their whole lives it was they who depended on him. This was the reason he had been born. If he couldn't even do this then he was worthless.

He gripped his hands and felt the wraps constrict around his fingers. Several more explosions rocked their little village and he took off running towards the closest one. He couldn't linger any longer just to catch his breath. People died every second he wasted. If he wasn't quick, one of them could be his sisters. The Huntsmen weren't holding back and trying to spare their lives like he was. Even if they were near invincible, that didn't make them unkillable. All it took was one unlucky move and they could die. He couldn't bear the thought of one of his sisters dying. They were the only thing he had in this world. Without them he wouldn't know what to do.

He arrived in the town centre to find the tent had collapsed, burned to the ground by Rouge's attacks. The tables were scattered and broken and the main stage where his sisters had once been was in pieces. Dozens of corpses littered the ground, some of them charred, others dismembered. He could see signs of death from all seven of his sisters' blades. So it was true, they had all been possessed after all.

Some small part of him had held out hope, but these corpses were visual proof that they had all gone crazy. The swords had made them crazy. He still didn't understand how or why that had happened, but now wasn't the time for him to worry about it. The only thing that mattered was bringing them back.

He continued further into the centre, stepping over the corpses and burning debris scattering the crowd, holding one hand over his mouth in a feeble attempt not to breathe in the smoke.

"So you've finally arrived, Jaune." He stopped when a familiar voice called out to him and turned to see Violet sitting on one of the few undisturbed chairs.

Her arms rested on her knees and hands dangled in the air as she leaned forward. Her katana, Ostrum Tempus, was stabbed in the ground just next to her. "Violet…" He didn't understand. Why was she here right now? He thought she would be going on some crazy killing spree like Rouge had been. Was she not possessed in the same way? Was that even the proper way to call it?

"I've been waiting for you, I figured you would show up eventually." She stood up and grabbed her katana, pulling it out from the ground before she began to pace around him in a wide circle.

"Violet... give me your sword." He extended his hand out towards her the same way he had offered Rouge earlier. It hadn't worked then, but maybe Violet had more control than she did?

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Jaune. I won't let you destroy me the same way you destroyed Fia Vesta." What? She knew? "Don't look so surprised. We can sense one another. It's only natural that we would all know when one is broken. I had hoped to talk to you before that but you had gone and left the party. That wasn't something I had counted on."

"You're... not Violet, are you?" This girl sounded like Violet, and she looked like Violet, but like with Rouge, something was different.

"Not quite. You can call me Ostrum Tempus." The name of her sword. So he had been right. They had been possessed by their swords. Why was this so much different than Rouge though? "Fia Vesta is a little more impulsive, naive and trigger-happy then the rest of us so I suppose your confusion makes sense. Violet does not want to see you killed. And I wasn't sure of your intentions towards us swords. If possible, I had wanted to talk to you before there was any kind of clash. Yet it's too late for that, and you proved capable of killing Fia Vesta. I suppose that means you will do."

"I will do? What does that mean?" He had to slowly turned as Violet continued to walk in that large circle around him.

"Your power is rather troublesome for us swords. You're the only thing in the world that can break us. Yet your sisters hold you in high esteem. So I'm offering you the chance to help us. More specifically, to help me."

"Help you... do what?" Jaune asked.

"That's not important, is it?" Violet answered.

He had to agree. It wasn't important what they were going to do. "I've seen enough of what you've done. I don't care what your plans are. I'm going to shatter you right here and then I'm going to break the rest of the swords too."

Violet let out a small twisted smile. "Is that so... you think you've seen enough, huh? Well there is one more thing I want you to see. In fact, Violet wants you to see it." She reached the chair she had started at. Just behind it was an unbroken table. With a flick of her sword, she split it in half and kicked both sides away, revealing two bodies hidden behind it.

No. "Dad…" He took a step towards their bodies. His father's lay in a pool of blood. No. no. no. "Mom…" What was happening right now? There was no way. His mother's appeared unharmed, yet she wasn't breathing. No. no. no. no. no. no.

"They're dead, Jaune." Violet grinned.

Every last sense of reason inside Jaune nearly snapped. "Why!? What the Hell did you do!?" How could they do this? It was bad enough they were using his sisters to murder others, but to murder their own parents.

"Don't get so mad at me. Violet wanted to do this for a long time." She extended her leg and gently prodded their father's corpse with her toe. "Ever since he maimed your hands without a care in the world for your well-being. Your mother was equally if not more guilty, but you wouldn't understand why."

"You…" He was done. Done talking with her. Done letting people get killed. He was going to shatter all these swords. There was no more doubt that was the right thing to do. "...I'll destroy you!"

He sprint at her with all the power his feet possessed.

She merely smirked before flipping her purple ponytail. "It's far too early for you to think about challenging me, Jaune. I'm the final boss." She once more stabbed the katana in the ground and stepped in front of it.

He swung his fist for her stomach, determined to doubled her over. Against his will, his arm crooked to the side and swung into Violet's extended open palm.

"Violet's Semblance is quite handy." Ostrum Tempus continued to smirk down at him. "Being able to alter the direction of incoming attacks, however slightly. And it's more than enough to wipe the floor with some half-baked martial artist like you." Her other hand jabbed him in the nose.

His vision flashed white and head recoiled backwards from the impact. He stumbled back a couple steps, but somehow managed to stay standing. Blood oozed from his nose and stained his shirt red but he didn't pay that any mind and instead squinted at Violet through teary eyes.

That was right. Violet's Semblance. It could alter the trajectory of any attack thrown at her. Any fist, any bullet. Even light and gravity itself if his sister focused enough on it. In the heat of anger, he'd forgotten that. The Semblance wasn't infallible, but by himself Jaune didn't even know if he could get around it. Regardless, he had to try.

He took off running once more but this time he grabbed the chair just in front of him and threw it first. Violet's Semblance altered its trajectory slightly and it flew just over her shoulder. He swung at her anyways, but as before his hand bent and slipped right past her.

She uppercut him in the chin. Then kneed him in the stomach. He managed not to back up this time and raised his arms defensively in front of himself. "How cute…" Violet purred. She stepped in for a series of punches. He blocked the first two with his forearms and then ducked under the third. He spun around and brought his leg high in a spinning kick but again it was twisted out of the way.

Before his foot even touched the ground she went in for another uppercut. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm around so he was standing just behind her. She rocked her head back and caught him once more in the nose, her purple hair flicking him in the face. She reversed his grip and pulled him by the arm up and over her body, tossing him through the air.

He landed on the ground with a thump. Giving a loud groan he rolled to his stomach and glared up at Violet. Just then he realized her mistake. She had thrown him over her katana and now it was between them.

This was his one and best chance to destroy it. He hadn't expected Violet to be so well-versed in hand-to-hand combat but, he wasn't surprised either. She was naturally talented at a lot of things. There was a reason they all looked up to her.

Still, he didn't have time to worry about that. He scrambled to his feet and dove forward, outstretching his hand towards the sword. Time seemed to slow down. His hand underneath the wraps glowed as it got closer to the sword. Violet was still on the other end. He was going to do it, two swords down... just five to go.

At least, that's what should have happened. With impossible speed, Violet crossed the distance and appeared between him and the sword, the bottom of her foot arching upwards. It struck him in the chin and sent him flying. She twisted her body and brought her elbow around, striking him hard in the solar plexus. Blood flew from his mouth as his trajectory was changed from upwards to sideways. She then grabbed him by the neck and slammed him back into the ground, splintering it apart with the force.

"Hmph, you're not that impressive after all." Violet got to her feet and flipped her ponytail before walking over to the katana.

"W-wait…" The world was going dark. He could barely see anything as blackness settled in around the edges of his vision. He couldn't feel his arms nor his legs yet somehow he knew they were helping push him off the ground. He wasn't done yet. He couldn't allow himself to be done. He had to finish this.

"Oh my... you can still stand?" Her voice sounded really far away now, despite the fact that she was so close.

"Just finish him already, Violet." Out of the corner of his eye he saw his twin sister, Joan, walking up to the two of them. Crocea Mors was strapped to her hip. "He's pretty much standing up on will alone. A small breeze will knock him over."

"Leave this to me, Crocea Mors." That's right. These people weren't really his sisters. Even if they were using their bodies.

"Please don't call me by that drab name. I would much rather be referred to as Joan from here on out." He stumbled forward and nearly collapsed to the ground. His vision waved in and out as the darkness threatened to claim him.

"You cleared the village?" Violet picked up her sword and sheathed it on her hip.

"Just him and Rouge left." At least one thing was going right. "Oh... and that other guy. We might need you or Amy to deal with him."

"It doesn't matter." Violet shook her head. "Gather the others, we're leaving."

"Yes, ma'am." Joan gave a small mock salute as she skipped away.

He couldn't let her leave. He still had to break her sword. He had to break all their swords. What use was he if he couldn't even accomplish that?

"Go to sleep now, Jaune. I have high hopes for you." He hadn't even realized Violet had gotten in front of him again until her fist buried into his stomach. He doubled over and collapsed to the ground. As he lay there, cheek pressed into the dirt, the last thing he saw were the corpses of his parents.

Then darkness.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** There we go. First couple battles out of the way. For the record, because I know it's kind of unclear now, but Jaune in this story isn't as weak as he claims to be. It's kind of an unreliable narrator thing going on from him where his self-doubt causes him to think he hasn't taken things seriously. His sisters are just seriously that strong, but you'll probably get a better idea of that when other Canon characters get thrown into the mix.

So Jaune's abilities for this story are pretty heavily based on Kamijou Touma from the Index series. Only in this he has two... and it only works on the swords... and they have a cooldown. Okay, so they sound pretty different when I put it like that, but it's worth mentioning where the inspiration came from.

And with that, we should be able to actually move onto Beacon in the next chapter here, which means more characters y'all are actually familiar with and not just a whirlwind of OCs that you barely know yet.


	4. Beacon Academy

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Beacon Academy_

* * *

A small groan escaped Jaune's lips as his eyes fluttered open.

"Big brother! Big brother!" Before he even really had a chance to question where he was or what was going on, his youngest sister flung herself on top of his body and knocked all the wind from his lungs.

"Rouge…" His mind was still trying to play catch up as he wrapped his arms around her. Why was she here right now? Wasn't she at Signal... wait, that was right. They were on break right now. All his sisters had come home. They were being celebrated for having defeated the White Fang.

Flashes of a village on fire. The faces of their dead parents. Violet standing over him.

His eyes widened and he bolted upright, bringing Rouge with him. "Rouge! Our sisters! Our parents! The village!" With the adrenaline surging through him he realized a couple things more quickly. The first being he was on a hospital bed. Rouge's arm was wrapped around him, face buried into his chest. Her other arm dangled backwards unnaturally and he turned to see she was handcuffed to his bed.

His confusion slowly gave way to anger. "...What is going on?"

"That is something I am hoping you can help me to understand, Mister Arc." He hadn't even noticed the man seated in the corner until he spoke up. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark spectacles and his gray hair made him easily recognizable to anyone, even Jaune.

"Ozpin." He had met this man before, but had never actually spoken with him. After all, five of his sisters had attended Beacon and Autumn had been enrolled even if she hadn't gone through initiation yet. "Get these off of her, _right now_."

The headmaster leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs before crossing his hands in front of himself. "I'm afraid that is not up to me. Depending on what you have to say, however, I may be able to convince them."

Jaune grit his teeth and his hands curled into fists. "Big brother... don't!" Rouge tugged on his arm and he met her pleading yellow eyes. "He has been most helpful. If it was not for him, they would not have let me stay by your side. Please! Cooperate with him."

He glanced at Ozpin out of the corner of his eye before looking once more back to Rouge. With a tired sigh he gave a small nod. "Alright." A relieved smile spread across her face. "But I want my question answered first." He once more directed his attention to the headmaster.

"Very good, Mister Arc. What would you like to know?" Ozpin relented more easily than he had expected. Not that he was going to complain.

"My sisters. Where are they?" That was the only thing that mattered right now. Finding his sisters. Freeing them. Keeping them safe.

"...We do not know." Ozpin admitted after a small pause. "One week ago today they razed down the village of Domremy and massacred all its inhabitants... along with several very important figures among the kingdoms' government." Rouge gave a small whimper. "The only survivors found... were the two of you. She is currently being detained for further questioning... however, she insists that you understand more of what has transpired that evening. Hopefully you can help us discover where your sisters have gone off to."

"..." Jaune closed his eyes and grimaced. A week? He had been out for that long? Violet had done quite the number on him. That also explained why he didn't feel any pain, his Aura must have long since healed his wounds. Some good news out of this... his sisters hadn't been killed or captured yet. He still had a chance to save them.

...but how? Violet had beat him within half an inch of his life without even trying. He couldn't possibly defeat them as he was now. He needed allies. Surely the headmaster of Beacon, where most of his sisters had attended, would want to keep them safe, right?

He looked back up at the headmaster, stealing himself for the pure skepticism he was about to receive. "They... were possessed."

One of Ozpin's eyebrows quirked over his glasses. "Possessed you say. By what?"

"Their swords." So far so good. At least Ozpin looked interested enough to hear him out. "I talked to one of them. My sister Violet. She called herself Ostrum Tempus. That's the name of her katana. Rouge too... when I stopped her she wasn't herself. She was being controlled by Fia Vesta before I-" The door to the room slammed open, cutting him off.

Rouge gave a startled yelp as several Huntsmen marched into the room, followed by one of Vale's councilman. "Ozpin! We have waited long enough! We're taking this girl in for questioning!"

"No!" Rouge clung once more to his arm. "Please don't let them take me!"

He wrapped his own arms protectively around her and whispered into her ear. "It's fine, Rouge. I won't let them take you. I won't ever let anyone take you away again."

Several of the Huntsmen marched towards her. "Rouge Arc. You are under arrest for the massacre of Domremy-"

"You stay the Hell away from her!" Jaune jumped out from his bed gallantly...

...before stumbling over and falling flat on his face.

"..."

"Like I was saying-" Jaune jumped back to his feet like nothing happened. "-You have to go through me to get her!"

"...Who is this kid supposed to be again?" The councilman stood stupefied for a moment before turning to Ozpin.

Much to Jaune's embarrassment, the headmaster gave an amused smile before gesturing vaguely in his direction. "This is Jaune Arc. Her brother."

"...They had a brother?" Seriously, that was getting old. Right now though, he didn't have time to worry about jabs to his pride.

"What are you going to do once you find my sisters?" He addressed the councilman without delay.

The councilman turned to regard him quietly for a moment before giving a small nod. "Seeing as you're family, I suppose you have the right to know. If they refuse to come quietly we'll have no choice but to use any means necessary to stop them." In other words they would try to kill them. Try being the key word. "The ones we do bring in will be put to trial for the atrocity they committed." Which also meant they would kill them. Either way, they would die then.

He couldn't allow that to happen.

"Mister Arc was just explaining that there might be more going on here than we originally thought." Ozpin choose this moment to intervene. "He was saying something about his sisters being possessed by the Seven Sacred Arc Swords."

"Balderdash!" The man was quick to shoot down his and Ozpin's claim. "As if such a thing were even possible! Possessed by a sword? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? He'll weave whatever tale he wants to try and protect them! Besides, if such a thing were true, why isn't she affected?" He pointed an accusing finger at Rouge.

Jaune stood defensively in front of her even as she shrunk back, grabbing a fistful of his shirt. "I shattered her sword."

The councilman snorted. "Everyone knows those swords are unbreakable."

Without hesitating, Jaune held one hand out and ripped the wrapping off it with the other. "Big brother!" Rouge cried and tried to run around his side, but the handcuffs kept her from getting any closer. She knew how much he hated showing off his hands. He couldn't stand the sight of them. But if it would help convince them to spare his sisters he would do anything.

He tore away the final layer and his scarred flesh on the back of his hand was revealed. The councilman and even a couple of the Huntsmen gagged at the crisscrossing scars that littered his whole hand. "I had a special glyph inscribed on my hands as a child. I can shatter the blades. I can break the possession. No one else has to die. I can save them. I just need a little help."

"You speak of saving them after what they've done!" One of the Huntsmen suddenly shouted.

"They haven't done anything wrong! It was the swords! Leave it to me and I'll prove it!" The huntsmen next to the councilman tensed and their hands inched for their weapons. Whether intentional or not, Jaune was getting into a shouting match with one of their kingdom's leaders. Like he even cared. If this man wanted to make an enemy out of his sisters, than he was an enemy to Jaune too.

The man opened and closed his mouth several times before he finally regained his composure. "I will not risk the lives of our people on some suicide mission for you to break the swords. There is less risk if we just kill them." This guy had never intended to try and take them in alive to begin with!

"If I may... I think I have a solution to this conundrum." Ozpin tapped his cane lightly against the ground, but the sound reverberated loudly inside such a small room, silencing everyone else and commanding their attention.

"You wish to see the sisters brought in for crimes. It is understandable. I hardly wish to interfere with your intent to seek out justice." Jaune's hair bristled. He thought if anyone would be on his side than it would be this man. "However, Mister Arc here is our best shot at actually bringing them in. He's already broken one sword. Need I remind you that everyone else that evening perished where he survived? There is some weight to this accomplishment."

"What... are you proposing?" The councilman spoke warily, as if Ozpin was attempting to lure him into some type of trap.

"If you do not wish to take Mister Arc up on his generous offer to help us end this threat, than I will. He will have the full support of my students and faculty backing him up. Any sister he manages to free from the control of the swords I will harbor at Beacon. This includes young Rouge, here." Was he being serious? For the first time since he woke up, Jaune felt a small glimmer of hope inside his heart.

"Y-you can't do that! She must be detained! She is dangerous! They're all dangerous!" Now if only this asshole would let it go. Yes, people had died but his sisters weren't the ones at fault! Why couldn't he see that? Jaune knew he was the one being unreasonable here and not the councilman, but that didn't mean he could possibly stand down.

"Beacon is separated from the rest of Vale." Ozpin gestured out the window, possibly in the general direction of Beacon Academy. "We are for all intents and purposes a private institute that trains Hunters from all four kingdoms. As Headmaster, I can grant or deny access to anyone I see fit. It won't quite be the detainment you wish for, but she _will_ be restricted to Beacon's grounds."

The councilman grit his teeth. "Fine!" He practically spat. "If you want to assist this idiot on his fool's quest, be my guest! We will seek to deal with this matter properly. And I hope you understand that once this catastrophe is brought under control... we'll be having a serious talk with the rest of the council about the limits of your authority…" His threat hung icily in the air but Ozpin didn't appear deterred at all. With nothing left to be discussed, the man turned on his heel and left, his Huntsmen slamming the door shut behind them.

"..." Jaune stared in disbelief at the closed door for several moments with his mouth hung open before slowly tilted his head towards Ozpin. He wasn't entirely sure of what had just happened, but somehow he was going to be allowed to have the chance to save his sisters. "I-I don't even know what to say… Thank you."

"It is still too early to thank me, Mister Arc." Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground, gaze for some reason not coming up to meet with Jaune's own. "I merely placed my bet on the best chance we had at defeating your sisters. I watched them grow personally and know how powerful they really are. Even I wouldn't be capable of stopping them without the power in your hands. However, we are now competing with the other four kingdoms of the world as well and I will not be able to force anyone that does not wish to aide you into fighting this battle. Although, I can think of two teams in particular that will lend you their assistance."

"That's fine. Any help at all is appreciated." Jaune awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and smiled at him.

"Hmm." Ozpin nodded while he stood up, reaching into his vest for something. "I must make a call. If you are feeling travel ready, we leave for Beacon today. This was the first day of classes for many students." Jaune nodded and watched as Ozpin walked out of the room, lifting a scroll to his ear as he did.

Once he was gone, Jaune began to fall forward, his legs giving out on him. Now that the adrenaline wasn't coursing through him anymore, he realized how sore he really still was from his beating. "Big brother." Rouge caught him and struggled to maneuver him back to his bed.

"Thanks, Rouge." He smiled gently at her while she pulled out another set of wraps from a drawer. As nimbly as she could with one hand still handcuffed to the bedframe, she began rewrapping his exposed hand. He grimaced and averted his eyes away from the marred skin. Ironically, it was these hands that he hated so much that had freed Rouge and would allow him to save his other sisters.

Rouge shook her head. "No, thank you. I... killed people. I may have killed more people. But you stopped me. You rescued me…" Her breath hitched and her shoulders shook as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Hey, hey." Jaune cupped her cheek with his free hand. "I told you, none of this was your fault. It was your sword. It was all your swords…"

"But I still... I can see them now. I am starting to remember... their corpses. Their homes as they burned down-"

"Don't!" He lightly bumped her forehead with his. "Just don't. Everything that happened to you... was because I didn't stop you in time. Put all your blame... on me." Maybe if he hadn't walked away he could have been there to help the Huntsmen stop them. Instead he had let his own self-pity drive him away from his sisters. Now he would say anything to alleviate blame from them, even if that meant bearing all the guilt himself.

That was the least he could do after letting them down once already.

* * *

"Yang! Hurry up!" Ruby was practically bouncing with every step, her tiny frame quivering with excitement.

"Calm down, Ruby. We're not missing anything." Yang Xiao Long let out a mix between a laugh and a sigh as her younger sister dragged her out from the hallways of Beacon and towards the bullhead dock.

"Don't you want to be there when they arrive?" Ruby turned back to look at her for only a second before turning her attention to the path in front of them. "It's Joan's brother and sister!"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Of course she was interested. How could she not be? The whole world had been rocked by what happened at Domremy. That Joan and her sisters would be the ones responsible for that tragedy... it was freaking nuts! Unthinkable even. Joan was one of the sweetest girls she had ever met. A bit awkward but she meant well, and she had been Ruby's first friend upon arriving here. It just went to show that you really didn't know some people.

So when Professor Goodwitch came over the loudspeaker not even fifteen minutes after classes ended saying that Joan's brother and sister were arriving as special guests... well, it had caused quite the uproar. Especially since they were coming as supposed allies. Apparently more was going on than what was being announced on the news.

"Oh man... you see, we're late!" Ruby gestured to the massive crowd that had formed at the dock, many of them hoping to get a glimpse of their two "guests."

"Relax, lil' sis. I guarantee you Weiss and Blake have saved us a spot near the front." Yang ruffled her hair as they made their way through the crowd.

"Ruby! Yang!" They both tilted their heads to see Nora bouncing energetically into the air, popping up high over the crowd to wave them over. Predictably, she was also at the very front. Their whole team would be as they were the closest to Joan, with her being their leader and all. Yang and Ruby forced their way the rest of the way up and found the rest of their team, along with what was left of JNPR and even CRDL and CFVY.

"About time." Weiss huffed at them. Blake merely gave a nod in greeting. Neither of them paid any mind though and instead looked carefully at Pyrrha.

"H-hey, Pyrrha." Ruby reached her arm up halfway before she stopped. The redhead was merely staring ahead, looking for any sign of the bullhead that would bring in her only connection to her partner. She hadn't attended any classes today, not that anyone could blame her. Joan had invited her to go to Domremy with her but she had gone home to Mistral instead. No one could fathom how much that decision now weighed on her mind. Of course it would have been impossible for her to do something given the circumstances but that no doubt didn't keep her from beating herself up inside about it. That was a feeling Yang could at least sympathize with. Her own decisions had once almost hurt Ruby and to this day she still agonized over that.

"So-" Cardin of all people spoke up next. "-do you think this guy they're bringing in is really going to have a way to bring Joan back?" He may not have shown it much, but in a way Cardin cared for her the same way the rest of them did. He had at one point treated her rather cruelly until she saved his ass from an Ursa.

Coco tilted her glasses down as she looked over at him. "It's the only thing that makes sense. Why else would they be bringing him here?"

"You met him last week, Pyrrha, did you not?" The words that left Ren's mouth surprised almost all of them, especially when she nodded.

"You've met him?" Yang didn't even know Joan had a brother, let alone that anyone had actually talked to him. "What's he like?"

"He's... a lot like her." Pyrrha responded absently. Her eyes were still scanning the horizon.

"I mean, was he impressive or anything?" She couldn't help but be curious. If this new guy really was the key to bringing back Joan like everyone seemed to think than that made him her one-way ticket to a Hell of an adventure. Not to mention he had to be crazy skilled. Joan was also a pretty cute looking girl, and if he was her male equivalent he must be quite the looker himself.

"You're letting your imagination run wild again." Blake jabbed her lightly in the side with her elbow. As if she was one to talk.

"I only talked with him briefly on a scroll call. I'll let you judge him for yourself, he's here." Pyrrha pointed into the distance and they all spun to see the bullhead appear in the horizon.

The constant murmuring of the crowd turned into a dull roar as everyone's excitement peaked at the prospect of finally getting to meet someone that had been involved in that world-shattering calamity. The bullhead drew closer and closer until it finally spun around and began to land on the dock. Everyone quit talking almost at once as the hatch gave a small hiss before lowering a ramp to the ground.

This was it.

Yang wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting from Joan's siblings, but looking back on it, she should have predicted what happened next. Two people burst out from the bullhead at breakneck speeds, hands cupped over their mouths and eyes wide in panic.

The girl looked to be about Ruby's age, had red hair comparable to Pyrrha's that was tied into pigtails and was wearing a pink hoodie and blue jeans that appeared a little too big for her. The blonde boy was practically the spitting image of Joan.. .minus a pair of breasts and with shoulders much more broad. He wore an orange t-shirt, blue workout shorts and had white wraps that extended from his elbows all the way through to the tips of his fingers.

They raced right for the nearest trash can like their lives depended on it before bending over it in perfect sync, nearly smacking their heads against one another in the process, before hurling the contents of their stomachs.

"That settles it. They're without a doubt Vomit Girl's siblings." Yang recalled the time she first met Joan and she ruined her favorite pair of shoes, earning her the nickname. Apparently motion sickness ran in the family.

"It's a more common problem than people let on." Ruby said that like she was reciting it from some memory.

"Joan surprised us all in the end.. .maybe he will too." Despite what he said, Ren sounded unsure himself. It certainly wasn't the strongest first impression one could leave, although they would certainly always remember it. Fortunately, the display had the unique effect of ruining almost everyone else's interest as the crowd slowly began to thin out, leaving only the few teams that had been close to Joan.

"Only one way to find out." Pyrrha began marching forward and the rest of them were quick to go after her.

Yang still really wasn't sure what to expect from this guy. However, one thing she could say for sure: Things were about to get interesting.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Before we go any further, there is also an omake below this Author's Notes.

Like I said a couple chapters ago, I will be doing these as an attempt to more familiarize you with the rest of Jaune's sisters and they will take place at varying points in their lives. Sometimes (like this time) they'll just be something silly I wrote for fun, and other times they may carry a little more weight. I should probably apologize in advance because this first one is a pretty crass and kind of off the wall. ...You'll see in the first line.

Are they necessary to read for the story? No, not really. They will be referenced occasionally but it's more about familiarizing you with the characters than doing anything major for the plot. So if you want to give them a pass, that's probably okay.

This story is taking quite a bit of setup to really start moving but now the main cast has finally been assembled so let the awkward interactions begin!

* * *

 **Omake 01**

 _The Birds and the Bees_

* * *

"Big brother, what is sex?"

Jaune crushed his bottle and spit the water he had just been drinking out as he gave a ragged series of coughs. Why!? Why was she asking him that question? How was it possible that such a word came out of his youngest, most adorable, sweet, innocent sister's mouth?

"W-where did you learn that word!?" He practically shrieked as he whirled on her. Rouge tilted her head, perplexed in her innocence by his shocked reaction and loud yell.

"Ciel told me to ask you."

That bitch…

He didn't think that often about his sisters but every once in awhile, Ciel in particular, pushed him too far. This was certainly one of those situations. Who just told a twelve-year-old to ask her big brother about something like that? Hell, he was only fourteen, he barely knew himself! He couldn't just let her go off now though without telling her anything. What if she asked Autumn next? He wasn't sure why but somehow that wouldn't end well for him, he had to avoid that. Besides, she was expecting an answer soon.

"Umm...well, Rouge." Her yellow eyes looked up at him expectantly. He felt like puking. "Sex is like...how do I put this? Basically, I suppose it is how babies are made." Sure that description was innocuous enough, right?

"Babies?" Rouge tilted her head. "So you're saying that we are all born because of sex?"

"Yes, that's right. You, me, and the rest of our sisters too." He nodded his head vigorously. Maybe this actually wasn't so bad after all? She seemed to have accepted his explanation easily enough.

"Wow. Father and mother must have lots of sex."

Why!?

No, no, no! Burn that image! Don't think about it! Don't think about it! Don't think about it! He did not want to picture his parents creating him and his sisters over and over again. Oh god! It was too late, it was already in his mind.

"I think I'm going to be sick…" He crouched into a corner of the room and gripped his stomach. Somehow, all his father's silly pick-up lines seemed not so innocent anymore. Rouge had just ruined him for life, he was sure.

"I do not understand. Does sex make you sick, big brother?" Rouge rubbed his back gently but her words did little to alleviate the images that were seared into his brain for all eternity.

"Please quit saying that word...Rouge." She had no idea that every time he heard that word leave her mouth he felt a little bit of his soul crumble apart inside. She was so pure... why would Ciel taint her soul like this?

"Do you think I will make babies one day?"

"I will skin the bastard that so much as lays even a single hand on you." Chills went down his own spine at the way he said those words.

"How do they go about actually making babies though? Is there a book on it?" Rouge was getting far too curious for her own good, her eyes alight with wonder at the chance to learn about something she knew so little about. He couldn't let this go on, and he especially couldn't let her get ahold of a book without proper context. He didn't think his heart could take much more of this.

"Let's... go find Joan." It was times like this he was glad he had a twin sister. If anyone could understand his pain right now it was her. As another girl, surely she would know how to talk to Rouge and explain it without scaring her for life.

"Okay." That answer appeared to appease her for the time being so they set out towards his room. Too bad for him, they only made it about halfway before they ran into one of their other sisters.

"Oh my, oh my. How cute." Olivia jostled both of their heads as she smiled down at the two of them. "Are you following your big brother again, Rouge?"

Rouge nodded enthusiastically. "Big brother and Joan are going to show me how to make babies!"

"..."

No! That was not right at all! Where did she even get that from!?

Olivia's head slowly ticked in his direction. The glare in her purple eyes alone was enough to kill Grimm. He couldn't breathe. He felt death approaching but there was no escape, his legs had frozen stiff with fear.

"Jaune…" His own name pierced him like a dagger in the heart.

"N-no! Joan and I aren't- we wouldn't-" He tried to stammer out a response but his mind couldn't properly form words as he attempted not to wet himself. That was how much she terrified him.

"Jaune…" This time the knife twisted and he nearly collapsed to his knees.

"I-I'm sorry!" He clapped his hands together and ducked his head, praying to whatever higher force would listen that his death was swift and painless.

"That's so... filthy!" No, no! She misunderstood! He and Joan weren't actually like that! They were really close but not that close! "Think of the sanitation!"

Wait... what?

"Rouge could be exposed to all kinds of nasty germs! Don't you dare risk her physical well-being by performing such a disgusting act in front of her! What the two of you do in the privacy of your own room is up to you but I hope you clean up afterwards! I'm the one that has to wash the sheets, you know?"

"Eh?" Was she being serious? Only small squeaks escaped his mouth before the sure ridiculousness of what she said finally broke any of his remaining restraint. "You're mad about that!?"

Olivia tilted her head, her green hair tumbling over her shoulder. "Of course. What else would I be mad about?"

"We're fourteen and siblings! Worry about sanitation after that stuff, dammit!"

"Is sex dirty?" Rouge raised her hand like she was waiting to be called on in class.

"No!"

"Yes."

He and Olivia responded respectively before looking at one another and then back to her.

"Kinda." This time they were in perfect sync.

She looked back and forth between them, the confusion evident now in her eyes. Jaune grit his teeth in annoyance. This was why he had decided to go to Joan. Who knew what kind of nonsense anyone else in this family would fill her mind with. "Rouge, come on. Joan and I are going to _explain_ it to you. No one is showing anyone anything." He grabbed her by the hand and yanked her forward.

"Oh no you don't!" Olivia briskly followed after. "If you think I'm going to allow her in such a filthy room before I have a chance to wipe it down you have another thing coming!" Somehow she already had a bottle of disinfectant in one hand and a roll of paper towels in the other.

"Joan and I aren't like that! Ask her yourself!"

"Don't worry, I plan too." Olivia was already past him as she said that.

Ah crap.

"Wait! Don't ask her! Don't ask her!" How was he supposed to explain to her that their other sisters thought they were having sex because of this ridiculous misunderstanding? No matter how he worded it, the fact was things should have never gotten this convoluted to begin with. Where did this all go so wrong?

Ciel. She is what went wrong.

"Joan!" Olivia threw the door to their room open just as Jaune tackled into her from the side.

"No! I won't let you!" She didn't even flinch and stood there like nothing had happened at all. He dug his heels into the ground and attempted to push her with all his might but she remained firm.

"W-what is going on?" Joan sat on her bed, headphones now around her neck and book she had been reading forgotten about.

"I hope you and Jaune are practicing safe sex." Why would she go and say it like that!? "There are all kinds of diseases out there that can be transmitted nowadays. If you two aren't careful you could end up infecting one another and then what will you do?"

Silence. Joan looked at Jaune who was still trying to push Olivia out of sight and then at Olivia who was glaring at her with a deadly serious look in her eyes. Rouge stood just behind them, watching the whole spectacle unfold.

"I'm... very confused right now." Joan looked to him once again for answers but there was no way he could even look her in the eyes anymore.

"Don't listen to anything she says! She's crazy!" He spun around and used his back to push on her but still made no ground as his feet slid against the wooden floor.

"Rouge told me all about how you and Jaune were going to show her how to make babies!"

"Jaune…" No, no! Don't use that tone with him. He couldn't stand it if his own twin was going to talk to him in that voice that just reeked of disappointment. "...I'm sorry, but you're not really my type. I prefer guys more quiet and with an aura of mystery."

He slipped on his feet and fell flat on his butt.

"What!?" His head whipped around but Joan refused to look him in the eyes, and instead bashfully averted them.

"Sounds like you just got rejected, Jaune."

"It's okay big brother. One day you'll find someone that will let you make babies."

His eye twitched.

He pointed at Rouge first. "Joan and I were never going to make babies!"

Then he whirled and pointed at Olivia. "Don't even think about trying to clean our room right now!"

"And you!" Finally, he spun around to face Joan. "Don't reject me because I'm not your type! Say it's because we're siblings! Do you know how pathetic it is to be shot down by your own sister!?" It wasn't like he had been asking her out to begin with!

He panted and gasped for breath as all three of his sisters looked at one another before turning to look at him.

"Calm down, big brother."

"Yeah, it's not like she sneezed on you or something gross like that."

"Seriously, no need to yell."

He gave up. And for the record...

This was all Ciel's fault.


	5. The Seven Sacred Arc Swords

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _The Seven Sacred Arc Swords_

* * *

Ruby Rose, like her sister, wasn't sure what kind of people she was expecting to get off the bullhead.

After witnessing the two of them running out and barfing in the nearest trashcan they could find... she felt strangely comforted. She had been worried she would have a hard time getting along with them or that they might not be as kind as their sister was.

Joan had been her first new friend upon attending Beacon. When she had gone and accidentally created a crater in the ground it had been Joan that offered a hand to help her up. It was a little sad that just before that the only thing she knew her as was Vomit Girl. She had been so quick to judge and Joan almost immediately proved her wrong. Regardless, they had become fast friends and fellow leaders.

She was hoping to become friends with these two as well. Now that she thought about it... the girl looked familiar. Wait a second-

"Rouge?" The name left her mouth before her brain had even fully processed it.

The girl lifted her head from the trashcan and spun around, yellow eyes scanning for the one who called her name. Almost immediately they locked with Ruby's silver ones. "Ruby?" She repeated back in the same questioning tone.

"It is you!" Ruby vanished in a blur of rose petals and slammed into the redhead, locking her in a hug. "How long has it been?"

"Over a year." Rouge gasped for breath as Ruby released her and stepped back. "Since you got bumped up a couple grades."

"Ruby, you know her?" Yang called as she and the rest of them all caught up.

Ruby's head nodded a mile a minute as she pushed Rouge forward. "This girl here is Rouge! We were friends back at Signal."

"Heh, someone you know. Good for you, Rouge."

"Heh, someone you know. Good for you, Ruby."

Yang's voice overlapped with the boy's and everyone's attention shifted to him. Yang gave a coy grin and snapped her fingers. "Jinx! You owe me a soda!" He opened his mouth to respond but only a small squeak came out. He snapped it shut before trying again. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" She winked at Blake immediately after say that who promptly elbowed her in the ribs.

"You never mentioned that you knew one of Joan's sisters." Nora's words caused Ruby's eyes to go wide with realization.

"Your last name is Arc!?" Rouge gave a confused nod, causing Ruby to let out a small nervous chuckle. "Huh, who knew?"

"You dolt!" Weiss lightly slapped her on the back of the head.

"I'm sorry, I just never put two and two together!" Ruby grumbled and rubbed the spot Weiss had slapped.

"It's Jaune, right?" Pyrrha interrupted their conversation and stepped up to the blond boy. His eyes were darting back and forth, looking like some kind of caged animal ready to pounce and make his escape.

Finally, he settled on the Mistral Regional Champion and slowly seemed to recognize her. "...Pyrrha Nikos." It was barely a whisper before he turned to her other teammates. "Lie Ren. Nora Valkyrie." They weren't really sure if he was saying their names in greeting or was just verifying that he in fact knew them. And Ruby thought Joan had rough social skills, this guy took it to another level.

"I'm Ruby Rose. I'm the leader of RWBY." She stepped up and extended her hand. Cautiously he reached forward and shook it. His grip was unnaturally weak but she didn't put much more thought into it. "These are my teammates, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna," They both nodded in greeting as she pointed to them. "and my sister, Yang Xiao Long."

"I'm still waiting for that soda." Yang winked playfully at him and his face turned a darker shade of red, clearly unsure how to handle her outgoing personality.

"I'm Cardin Winchester, leader of CRDL." He stepped up next just like Ruby had. "These are my teammates, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark." As before they all nodded to him, one which he barely returned in favor. "I owe Joan a pretty big debt of gratitude. If you have a plan to get her back, I want in." At those words, Jaune grimaced but it vanished not even a second later.

"Coco Adel." The last leader present introduced herself. "Leader of CFVY. Behind me are Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarlatina, and Yatsuhashi Daichi." She gave a small pause before tilting her sunglasses down and looking him in the eyes. "...You do have a plan, right?"

Jaune opened his mouth but before he could say anything, Ozpin stepped down from the bullhead. "Perhaps this would be a conversation better held somewhere such as the library. Our guests have had a long flight and I am sure would appreciate the chance to sit down. Do be sure to give them some of Beacon's famous hospitality."

"Of course, headmaster." Pyrrha responded. She then stepped up to Jaune and rested a hand on his elbow. He shrunk back slightly at the contact. "Follow us this way." He allowed Pyrrha to lead him off while the rest of them followed, but Ruby couldn't help but think he looked ready to bolt at the first moment he got.

Rouge grabbed a fistful of her cloak as they walked. "It is nice to see you again, Ruby." She whispered quietly. Ruby responded with a big grin, glad to see her friend again too. Whatever it was that happened, Rouge must have been pretty shaken up still. She just hoped that as her friend, she could help her maybe get over it.

* * *

Feeling inferior wasn't an abnormal emotion for Jaune.

He had felt this way for most of his life, after all. However, before now it had always been in the face of his sisters, people he knew and loved, and who loved him back. Even if their very existence reminded him of how weak he was it was bearable because of that bond he shared with them.

That bond did not exist with these people. No matter where he looked, he was absolutely surrounded by accomplished Hunters-in-training. The very way they walked was different, full of such self-assurance. A majority of the boys towered over him, and those that didn't looked frighteningly mysterious. He had no doubt they could all snap his neck without a second thought.

The girls weren't much better. They were all dangerously beautiful, so much so he didn't have any idea where to look and just kept his eyes aimed at his feet. Around his sisters he never had to worry about this. Despite himself now though, his hormones were practically running wild, screaming to be released. He didn't have time to listen to them though, he had to focus on saving his sisters...all of them.

Joan, Joan, Joan. That was all he heard since he got here. Ozpin said they would be willing to help him, but it sounded like their only interest was in saving Joan. He wanted to save Joan too, but he had five others to worry about on top of that. What if he freed Joan and they all abandoned him immediately after that? He would be back to square one if that happened.

"So about that plan." Coco pressed him again as she leaned over the table. His eyes locked on her pink lips before a deep blush marred his face and he turned away. Too bad that no matter where he looked, there was some equally gorgeous girl in his line of sight. He averted his eyes to the library table he had sat in front of.

"Umm...how much have you heard?"

"Only that you're sisters went crazy and murdered a bunch of people!"

"Nora!" Several voices shouted at once.

He winced internally at her words. Of course that was how it was being portrayed on the news. No one knew what was really going on. He had the whole world working against him on this quest. "...It was their swords."

"Come again?" Pyrrha leaned closer to hear him better.

"That's what she said."

"Not the time Xiao Long!"

He cleared his throat and spoke a little louder. Now wasn't the time to be focusing on his inadequacies. He needed allies. "They were possessed by their swords. All of them were."

"Possessed?"

"What do you mean?"

"How is that possible?"

Several voices assaulted him at once.

"Give him a chance to explain." Pyrrha tapped the table loudly enough to cut them all off.

He nodded in appreciation. "There are...seven indestructible swords passed down our family line: The Seven Sacred Arc Swords. Crocea Mors is one of them." He mentioned the one they were all familiar with and their eyes widened. "They're actually living weapons powered by Ambience, or Aura for weapons. Usually only a couple at a time are ever compatible per generation. However, my sisters... they were all compatible. They were all capable of drawing out the swords full potential."

"So these weapons have a soul of their own is what you're saying?" Blake rubbed her chin and he could have sworn he saw her bow twitch. "And that soul fought for dominance of your sisters' bodies and took them over?"

"That's...a fairly accurate way to put it." He was impressed by how quickly she grasped what he was saying and made it understandable.

"Kind of like that book you were reading when we met." Ruby mumbled and he turned to see Rouge still clinging closely to her. He was glad to see she had found an old friend. She needed one right now.

"You said there were seven swords though." Velvet indicated towards Rouge with her rabbit ears.

Everyone turned to look at her and she shrunk back under the sudden attention. "Big brother...broke my sword. He saved me." She said in a voice barely loud enough to be heard.

"Wait a second!" Weiss slapped her hand on the table, the sound easily ten times louder than Rouge had been. "I thought these swords were indestructible?"

Jaune slowly extended his right hand into the air and all their eyes drew to it. "When I was a kid, dad inscribed glyphs on my hands. They're the only thing in the world capable of breaking the blades."

"We don't have to break them though, right?" It was Ren that posed this question as he rubbed his chin.

"He brings up a good point." Pyrrha immediately interjected. "Crocea Mors is very important to Joan. She would be devastated if we broke it. Let's just separate her from it. At least until we can figure out how to get the soul inside of it under control."

Jaune quickly shook his head. "That won't work." His voice raised slightly despite himself. "Violet didn't pick up her sword the whole time she fought me. Breaking the sword is the only thing I know that will work right now."

"That means there might be other ways though." Nora jumped in now as well. He had to fight the urge to grit his teeth. This conversation was starting to veer in a way he had been afraid of. They had no interest in actually breaking Joan's sword and for sure saving her soul. They wanted to gamble on another plan.

"The only thing I'm capable of doing is breaking their swords. I can't do anything else." All three of Joan's teammates grimaced at his words.

"You can leave Joan to us. We'll talk her out of it. If we just remind her who she is she can overpower the control of that sword." Pyrrha spoke these words adamantly, without a hint of doubt in her mind.

Jaune started to stand up but a strong grip on his shoulder kept him down. He turned to see Yang giving him a strange look that he couldn't quite place. Her intent was clear though, she just didn't want him to start some kind of fight right now. It wasn't going to do any of them any good to divide this early.

"...That's fine." He conceded dejectedly as he collapsed back into his chair. "Autumn is the one I need to find first anyways."

"Wait, you don't know where they are?" He wasn't sure why Weiss said that with so much surprise. "Don't those glyphs of yours have some kind of tracking implant?"

"...If only it was that convenient." He gave a small, self-deprecatingly snort. "I can sense the swords when they're nearby. If they were on Beacon grounds I would know it...but other than that, I don't have any means to find them. That's why I need Autumn. She can sense and locate Aura with her Semblance. If I get her on my side then finding the others will be easy."

"So where do we get these glyphs you have on your hands? It sounds like we could all use a pair if they're as strong as you say." Cardin leaned forward and was inspecting his wrapped hands carefully. He had to fight the urge to hide them behind his back. They couldn't see the scars underneath the wraps, yet they felt exposed anyways when people scrutinized his hands like that.

"You don't want them." Rouge whispered those words darkly behind him. Everyone turned to her before looking back at him.

"She's... just being dramatic." He gulped and felt himself break out in a cold sweat. He didn't know why but he didn't want them to know how much these glyphs had maimed him. "I'm afraid I don't possess the tools necessary for the inscription. Even if I did, no one here matches the criteria needed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cardin shifted his eyes up and gave him an intimidatingly glare.

"I-I don't mean any offense." Jaune held his hands up. "You have to be born an Arc for the glyphs to work. You also can't have your Aura unlocked or know your Semblance when the inscription takes place. That's just how it is." He didn't bother to mention that the glyphs forcibly unlocked your Aura before destroying your original Semblance. He would never know what his special ability was because these were his ability now.

"Fine…" Cardin relented and stood back up straight. Jaune let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding when he did. Just great, it felt like he wasn't doing anything but make enemies with these people.

"So what are we dealing with?" Coco drummed her fingers against the table and he looked up at her questioningly. "You're the only one that can break the swords. It makes sense now that Ozpin would bring you in. Knowing that guy, he knew we would jump in to help you as friends of Ol- as friends of Joan. Before me and my team throw ourselves into any kind of life-and-death battle, I want to know what these swords do that everyone fears them so much."

"Rouge used to be undefeated back at Signal!" Ruby jumped in excitedly as she showed off her friend proudly. Rouge attempted to hide her face, tips of her ears glowing red like her hair. "She could create a storm of fire that no one could even get close to and she wouldn't get burned at all! It was incredible!"

"Sorry, Ruby." Yang pat her on the back. "But we kind of only care about the swords that haven't been shattered into thousands of tiny pieces." She immediately deflated at her sister's words.

"Does anyone have a pen and paper?" Jaune asked. Almost immediately Blake produced both, placing them down in front of him. "Thanks…" It was kind of creepy how ninja-like she had done that but he wouldn't question it.

He picked up the pencil and began writing the names of the swords. On the third one, his hand gave a small spasm and he dropped it. He quickly picked it back up and kept writing like nothing happened. Everyone's eyes were on him, but he did his best to ignore it. There was nothing to gain by looking up and seeing their concerned gazes. He didn't want to talk about the spasms he still had or his weak grip. It was better for them to think he was strong, or they surely wouldn't follow him into battle.

"Okay." He pushed the paper forward and pointed at the first sword he had written down. "Autumn's weapon is called Luteus Oblido and they're a pair of lightning gauntlets connected by a chain."

"Gauntlets? I thought they were all swords?" Weiss interjected before he even had a chance to explain.

Yang also choose that moment to interrupt further. "Yeah, and if there is two, does that mean you have to destroy them individually, or does touching just one break both?" Like hell if he knew. It's not like anyone had ever tried before. Of course, he couldn't just say that as he was supposed to be the expert here. It was also probably best not to lie right now.

"They've always just called them swords... even though some of them aren't in the traditional sense." He answered Weiss first and then turned to Yang. "I'm just going to have to find out when I break the first one." He looked up at them to make sure they were done and they both shrugged unapologetically. "Anyways... they shoot lightning. Over very long distances. Combined with Autumn's Aura sensing Semblance and she can literally hit people across a city."

"Sounds like you got competition, Ruby." Yang whistled.

He ignored her small remark this time. "They're just as dangerous up close. She can unleash powerful electric pulses and create whips of lightning that cut through anything as well as any sword could."

"That... sounds troublesome." Blake mumbled quietly just next to him.

"And you want to go for her first?" Coco rightly sounded discouraged. However, she hadn't heard anything yet. The rest of the swords were just as tricky to deal with.

"Crocea Mors is Joan's weapon. I'll be brief since I assume most of you know what it does." Nora, Ren, and Pyrhha nodded confidently but the rest didn't look so certain. "The shield absorbs energy. Any attack you throw at her, any dust bullet, even the wind and solar power of the sun. The shield takes all this in and converts it to a powerful light wave that the sword sends back out. The wave... is unpredictable."

"However Joan wants to use it, she can." Pyrrha began filling in for him. "If she needs a widespread wave to take out an armada she can do it. If she needs a focused powerful beam to bring down a mighty foe, it is just as easy for her." She turned to Jaune and he nodded at her apt description.

"There's also her protective Semblance." Ren folded his arms in front of himself. "She can create force fields at will. Nothing can break through them but her light wave can pass from the inside. It's the ultimate offense combined with an absolute defense."

"No wonder I never beat her in a spar." Cardin mumbled.

"It only gets better." Jaune pointed to the next sword down on his list. "Viridis Teresa is Olivia's sword. It is a giant claymore with a mirror for the broadside. Basically, it creates illusions. She can make you see anything she wants. And then her Semblance causes immense fear to anyone that looks her in the eyes. The effects vary from person to person. Some freeze up, others try to flee, she's even told me that once she made an adult man wet himself." Several people snorted in laughter. "Very few people aren't affected that strongly by it." They all immediately went quiet.

He looked at them again. In particular, the member of Coffee looked suddenly more interested than they had before. It was probably just because they already knew about Crocea Mors and also everyone at this point had been younger than them. Olivia and her sword was the first graduated Huntress he talked about so of course she would have to be taken more seriously.

Since no one said anything he decided to continue. "Next is Glacies Inferno, a dagger wielded by Ciel."

"A dagger doesn't sound so bad." Russell mumbled, fingering one of his own two daggers that hung on either hip.

"It can generate vast amounts of ice from the tip of its blade and can flash freeze anything that gets within a few feet of it."

"Never mind, that sounds horrible." He immediately retracted his previous comment.

"Ciel usually combines it with her Semblance. She can breathe life temporarily into inanimate objects so she usually creates giant ice dolls that she then brings to life." Ordinarily her Semblance was only good for playing practical jokes. When used in conjunction with that sword though... it was one of the most fearsome combinations he had ever seen in action.

"Are any of your sisters _not_ ridiculously overpowered?" Yang slumped on the table, although she didn't seem to be nearly as afraid about this as she should be. Was she even taking this seriously right now?

"I'm afraid it only gets worse for the last two." He continued, getting good at ignoring Yang's constant remarks now. "Mortem Caligo is a scythe wielded by Amethyst. It... summons the spirits of anyone the blade has ever killed before and bends them to the wielders will."

"That's just like..." Weiss mumbled under her breath, voice trailing off.

He didn't know what she meant to say but the description of Amethyst's sword was enough to give everyone else pause. Even Yang didn't have a remark this time. Of all the swords, Amethyst's made him the most uncomfortable. He felt a little bad to admit it, but maybe the world would be better off without such a twisted weapon in it. What did that say about his sister that had been compatible with it, though? "Her Semblance... lets her become incorporeal at will."

"Which means... what exactly?" Ruby scratched her head.

"It means if you try to punch her you'll phase right through her." Pyrrha answered. He looked up to see the mood had soured for pretty much all of them. He couldn't blame them. The more they heard the more hopeless this seemed after all. There was a reason the swords were rumored to be capable of destroying the whole world if wielded together.

"Violet is the most difficult to deal with." Which was only made worse now that he had to talk about his strongest sister. "She's our eldest sister and she's never once gotten so much as a scratch in real battle." He grit his hands together as he thought about his strongest sister who ruthlessly thrashed him. "The others combine their Semblance with their swords to varying levels of success, but no one has it as down as she does. Dad used to say she was the strongest Arc born in over a hundred years."

"You're not making us feel better," Weiss snapped. "Just tell us what it does."

"Hmm," He nodded. "Violet's Semblance allows her to alter the trajectory of incoming attacks slightly. That means any punch you throw at her is going to bend against your will. Any bullet is going to veer off course. Even light and gravity is no good if she focuses on it enough. Her katana, Ostrum Tempus, slows down time when she draws it from the sheath. To the outside world, it just looks like Violet turns into a speeding blur, but to her it's the opposite and the rest of the world looks like it slows down. It only lasts while she's drawing the sword but Violet is a master of Iiajutsu. Most people never even see her move."

No one said anything as he finished.

He looked at all of them and could see the hopelessness and doubt in their eyes. This wasn't something just students were going to be able to handle. He had been hoping Ozpin would offer him some staff as well. Maybe he still would if he asked him? Then again, maybe this would be enough to turn the odds. He only needed someone to be able to hold off his sisters long enough for him to get close and break the blade without wasting his cooldowns. As long as they were still willing to help him, he wouldn't turn down their assistance.

"Let's... just focus on Joan first." Pyrrha mumbled and to his chagrin he heard most of the others voice their agreement. Even after everything they heard that was still all they wanted. They had no intention of trying to break her sword. Didn't they understand that people had died? His own parents were dead! Yet they still believed Joan could be saved with half-measures. If anything, that just proved to him how removed from the whole situation they truly were.

They thought they knew how to deal with this best. They hadn't seen what he had. They had yet to experience the true helplessness of facing his sisters as actual enemies. It wasn't something he could convince them with words alone. It was something they had to go through themselves...and that was something he wouldn't wish on anyone. That was why it was up to him to save them.

Even if he had to do it himself.

"With that decided, let's go get some food!" Nora began skipping out the library and most of the rest followed after her. Pyrrha looked back at him once before going with them. The only ones that stayed behind were Rouge and team RWBY.

"Are you okay...big brother?" Rouge stepped up and placed a hand on his shoulder and he responded by placing his own hand on top of hers.

"I'm... fine. I guess I was just hoping we would all be on the same page. I should've known I didn't have the social skills to convince them to help me save them all."

"Uhh...umm…" Ruby stepped forward and fiddled with the hem of her skirt. He quirked an eyebrow at her curiously. "I-I know it might not mean much but if I can help you track down all your sisters then I will! Joan is my friend but so is Rouge...and I wouldn't want to think about it if something like this ever happened to Yang."

"Aww...thanks Rubes!" Yang jostled her sister's hair playfully. She attempted to knock her hand away but at the same time not break eye-contact with him. He could see the determination and unwavering resolve in her eyes when even the others gave up hope.

"Well Blake, looks like our leader is dragging us into another adventure." Weiss let out a small sigh and he whirled on her in surprise.

Blake gave a small shrug. "Oh well, helping them out is personal for me too. The people that set the White Fang back on the right path need help. There's no way I'm passing up an opportunity to return the favor."

Were these girls... being serious?

"Well, it may not be all the help you were hoping for, Vomit Boy." Yang patted him roughly on the back. "But it looks like you got yourself some backup in team RWBY!"

Jaune opened and closed his mouth as he looked at them. He was horrible at talking. He had been sure that his words wouldn't be capable of bringing anyone to his side. The only reason he even said as much as he did was because he had been desperate and the swords were the one subject he actually had some knowledge in. Yet he was sure that hadn't been enough. In some ways it hadn't...but for these four girls it hadn't deterred them at all.

"Thank you...thank you so much." He lowered his head, partially in gratitude and partially so they wouldn't see the tears gathering in the corner of his eyes. Even if it wasn't much, he had allies now.

He might really have a chance to make everything right now.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Kind of a lot of info-dump this chapter with a little bit of plot progression. Don't worry if you don't know all the sword abilities by the time I get back up to them. It'll be gone over again as he fights them. The same can be said for the sisters, although I hope these omakes I'm writing will continue to help familarize you with them.

Now that I've described not only the sisters but their swords, let's talk fanart. Natzo, who also drew the cover for this story, has also drawn all seven of the Arc Sisters. If you're interested in having a visual image of them and all their swords, I'm posting the Deviant Art links to my profile page. Fanfiction prevents me from posting actual links so they are slightly broken, but I also included the instructions to properly view them.

So yeah, if you take a look at the sisters fan art and like what you see, let him know! I'm incredibly grateful to him in that he gave life to my characters in a way I would never be capable of.

* * *

 **Omake 02**

 _A Little Favor_

* * *

"Jaune... I need your help."

He had to clean out his ears because he was pretty sure he just misheard that. There was no way, it was impossible...his little sister, Autumn, had just asked him for help.

She never did that anymore! Ever since Rouge had been chosen for the last sword and he had been permanently branded as incompatible, she quit being his cute little sister and instead treated him like dead-weight to the family. It was really rather disheartening but most times he put up with it because he held out hope that one day she would see him as her big brother again...was today finally that day?

"You name it lil' sis!" He sprung off his bed and to his feet before practically prostrating himself before her. "I'll go to the ends of Remnant to do whatever it is you need!"

"Tch, gross." Autumn flicked her orange twintails to the side as she tilted her nose up and away from him in what she probably thought was a dignified manner. He remained planted firmly in front of her regardless, waiting with baited breath to know what it is she wanted from him. One of her green eyes cracked open and she glanced at him out of the corner of it, no doubt seeing the huge grin plastered across his face. "...Can you talk to Amy for me?"

"Amethyst?" His smile faltered slightly. He didn't really understand. She wanted him to talk to their second-eldest sister for her? "Did the two of you have a fight?" Maybe this was some version of the pretending-your-sister-was-dead game, and Autumn was doing this because she didn't want to be the first to crack? That kind of made sense…

"No, we didn't fight. Are you stupid?" Okay, okay. Geez, she didn't have to say it like that...he had feelings too.

"Then...why can't you just talk to her yourself?" Maybe he shouldn't be asking questions and just do it? It was his rare opportunity to do Autumn a favor. It was just such an odd request.

"Sh...res...me" Autumn mumbled something too inaudible for him to hear.

"What was that?" He cupped his hand over his ear and leaned closer.

"She scares me! Okay!" Autumn yelled, causing him to jump back in shock.

"...What?" He opened and closed his mouth as he looked her right in the eyes. She...meant those words. Amethyst frightened her. "...I don't understand."

"How don't you get it?" Autumn returned his look of disbelief, apparently just as shocked as he was. "She never talks. She just listens to her music all the time, even during dinner. The only time I see her actually saying something is when she's yelling and chasing after Ciel because of some prank. And have you been in her side of the room? It's creepy."

"Okay…" He guess he had never really thought of it as creepy. Amethyst had a lot of posters on her side of Violet's and her room, but they were all mostly just pictures of her favorite heavy-metal bands. Although now that he thought about it that probably would look creepy to a fourteen-year-old girl. "...I still don't get why me. Violet is closer to her than any of us."

"What? Do you want me to go and look pathetic in front of her? She's enough of a task-master as it is in sword training. I don't need her trying to fix other parts of me as well." Violet wasn't that bad...was she? "Besides, I saw you and her laying side-by-side in the dojo the other day. She must like you."

Ah...he got it now. He did often slack off and listen to his pocket radio. Amethyst snuck off every chance she got to join him while listening to her music. They never really talked to one another, but it was strangely comforting having her next to him. It was nice to have company, even if you weren't doing anything and he supposed that's why Amethyst usually choose him to sit by. They could just relax together and not expect anything from one another.

"Alright, I'll help you. Come on. Let's go." He grabbed her by the shoulders before he spun her around and began pushing her down the hall.

"Are you deaf? Or are you really just this dumb?" He ignored her jabbing remarks as best he could. "I told you I want you to talk to her for me!"

"You gotta get over your fear of her eventually. She's your sister. Think of how that would make her feel if she found out you were afraid of her. You would be hurt to know Rouge was terrified of you."

"..." She didn't say anything to his remark and he knew for once he had won. Autumn could be really stubborn in most regards, but she always did have a soft spot for their youngest sister. Then again, they all did.

He got up to Amethyst's room and barged right in without so much as a single knock. Predictably, she was on her bed, heading resting on the pillow and headphones on. Her side of the room was decorated in various shades of reds, grays, and blacks from her numerous posters. Violet's side of the room was minimalistic, consisting only of a bed, a desk and a small lamp.

He pushed Autumn right up to the side of the bed and walked around to the side of her. Then they just stood there. He watched his older sister as she shook her head occasionally, causing her short purple hair to bounce from time to time, her feet rocking in beat to the music.

"...Are we going to let her know we're here?" Autumn asked with a strange mix of impatience and nervousness.

"She knows we're here." Jaune answered simply, not that he was really sure how she did with her eyes closed and ears shut off to the world. Probably just some kind of sixth sense. "She's just finishing her song." As soon as he said those words, he heard the heavy bass let up as the song came to an end.

Amethyst's red eyes cracked open and she lifted her head before switching the headphones so they set behind her neck. "Jaune, Autumn. What do you want?" She got right to the point, probably eager to return to her music.

"Autumn has something she wants to talk to you about." Jaune patted his younger sister on the shoulder and she gave a small "eep" when Amethyst's eyes turned curiously towards her.

"I...umm...well, you see…" Autumn began to twiddle her thumbs, her green eyes darting around and looking anywhere but at Amethyst. Finally, she looked up at Jaune and he gave her an encouraging nod. She stared at him for a second longer before taking a big breath and turning back to Amethyst. "Amy...I want to go to that concert with you."

Amethyst quirked an eyebrow just as Jaune did the same. Before either of them could say anything Autumn continued. "You were listening to a song about a month ago and I kind of thought it was catchy...so I started looking into the band myself. Then I saw you got tickets to go see them in the mail yesterday...and I want to go."

"Okay, sure." Amethyst gave a small shrug, causing Autumn's jaw to drop.

"J-just like that!? Aren't those tickets expensive though?"

"Kind of, but they're worth it. Besides, if you really like the band then of course I'll take you. It's pretty rare one of you come to me for something and not Violet." Jaune tried hard not to snicker as Autumn's mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish. He supposed his younger sisters didn't know it because Amethyst didn't talk very often but she was actually one of the more easy-going of all their sisters.

"Good for you, Autumn." He patted her hair lightly but as he did another thought occurred to him. "How were you even going to go if you wouldn't talk to Amethyst?"

Autumn looked up at him like he had asked the question with the most obvious answer in the world. "I was going to have you go and record it for me, that way it would be like I was there." That really wasn't the same thing...although he didn't dare tell her that. "You're still coming by the way." Wait, what? No, no, no. He didn't care for that kind of music.

"Sounds like fun. I'll get you a ticket too." He whirled on Amethyst.

"Don't decide things for people!" He shook his head from side to side and waved his arms in front of himself hurriedly.

"Don't be such a baby. I'll let you know when I got the tickets." Amethyst put her headphones on, cutting off any further protest from him.

Autumn snickered with a sinister smirk plastered on her face.

"You're right, Jaune. Amy isn't so bad."


	6. RWBY

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _RWBY_

* * *

"Hey Blake, you awake?" The girl in question gave a tired sigh as she cracked one eye open to see her partner, Yang Xiao Long, dangling upside down from the bed above her, blonde hair extending past her mattress.

The teams had already split apart for the evening, retreating to their rooms and heading to bed. Jaune was supposed to stay in JNPR's room and would likely be using his sister's bed, not that she thought that was going to go over too well. Things between Jaune and his sister's team had gotten...tense, for lack of a better word.

"Yeah, I'm awake." She glanced across the room. Weiss was sleeping soundly as far as she could tell. She was pretty prompt about her sleep schedule. She couldn't see atop Ruby's dangling bed but there should be two occupants asleep there now.

It had taken some coercing for Rouge to agree to sleep in a separate room from her brother but even he seemed to agree that it was better if she stayed with them. She couldn't exactly pin if that was because he just wanted his sister to reconnect with an old friend or if he was still being wary of her, but until proven otherwise she would believe the former.

"Kind of a crazy turn of events today, don't you think?" Apparently these things were still running rampant through Yang's mind too.. Of course, by events, she was referring to one Jaune Arc in particular. She had been very eager in meeting the new guy and seeing what promises of adventure he would bring. After all, there had been world-shattering news last week and the girl across the hall had been involved.

Then out of nowhere comes a brother they didn't even know existed with a way to put an end to it all. It wasn't wrong to say that Yang had seen him less as a person and more as a free ticket to an exhilarating adventure. At least until they actually met him.

"Was he everything you were hoping for?" Blake couldn't help but laugh at the complicated expression that formed on Yang's face.

"...Not exactly." Jaune had hardly been the way any of them pictured. He certainly had his twin's awkward disposition down to a T, but past that the resemblances more or less pittered out. They certainly looked alike, but Joan was by all accounts a beautiful girl that could give any of them competition.

Jaune on the other hand...he wasn't unattractive by any means, if anything he just kind of struck her as rather average, and Beacon was hardly a place for the average. And then the whole time he had been with them he acted like some kind of caged animal in a zoo being glowered at. Blake would have thought he was a Faunus if she hadn't been one herself.

Perhaps most disconcerting was the way he carried himself. This was supposed to be the guy with the solution to bringing in the Seven Arc Sisters without any more casualties. One would think that someone like that would carry himself with a bit more...pride, at the very least self-assurance. He had none of that.

The only time he had talked at length was about the swords and his sisters' Semblances, but even then he just sounded like he had been reciting words from a textbook he had memorized. All in all, it wasn't a very strong showing. Yet in the end, she had sided with him.

"I gotta admit though, something about the way Pyrrha and the others talked to him just didn't set right with me." Yang continued. "Like...I don't how to explain it, but somehow I feel like he made more sense than they did. I'm not crazy, am I?"

Blake shook her head.

Jaune simply wanted to save all his sisters the only way he knew how. Pyrrha and the others wanted to save Joan but in the process protect her pride. It wasn't something Blake could blame them for. Once she had tried to redeem the White Fang and would have done anything to bring them back on course without trampling over their beliefs. At some point though they had gone crossed the line of redemption and that was no longer possible for her.

So she had been incredibly grateful when Joan took the information they had gathered on the White Fang and presented it to her eldest sister. Things had begun happening rapidly from there as all the Arc sisters got involved one by one for their unique talents until together they dragged out the people manipulating the White Fang from the shadows and set them once more on the path to a proper resolution.

It was for this reason, she would help Jaune. He understood that sometimes things had to be sacrificed to achieve a proper victory. It did help that she felt that she owed the Arc sisters a debt of gratitude. Yang on the other hand didn't have this reasoning.

"Maybe it's just because you know what it's like to be a sibling?" Blake said the only thing that made sense to her. She saw Yang give an understanding nod out of the corner of her eye.

"You're probably right. Still, it seems rather heartless of them to not want to save the others as well. It's what Joan would want too."

"Right now Pyrrha and the others just aren't thinking right...they're still trying to wrap their minds around what happened to their leader. Give them some time, they'll come around." Blake had no doubt that her words were true. None of them on JNPR were cruel by nature, they just had a little too much on their plates right now.

"Until then, looks like it is up to us to help Vomit Boy out!" Yang gave a bright grin and flexed one of her arms, causing a small smile to spread across Blake's face. It looked like he was going to need all the help he could get too.

A whimper from the top of Ruby's bed caused both of them to turn towards it in concern. "Uhh...Rouge?" Ruby lifted her head up and tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes as another terrified moan escaped from the mouth of the sleeping girl.

"No, no!" Rouge gave a sudden shout, before bolting up in her sleep, startling all of them, even Weiss who had been dead asleep. "It-it wasn't my fault...I didn't mean to…" Rouge's breath was ragged and deep, her yellow eyes darting around the room.

"R-Rouge...calm down." Ruby gently touched her shoulder but the action caused the other redhead to shriek.

"Stay away from me!" She pushed herself backwards and fell off the bed, collapsing to the floor in a heap.

"Rouge!" Several of them shouted at once as almost all of them crawled to the edge of their beds.

"No! I don't know what I might do to you!" Rouge held her a hand up warningly as she scooted away from them. "All...all those people, their homes, their lives...I burned it all!" She grabbed the side of her head while tears streamed down her face. "I...I don't deserve your kindness. Not after everything I've done."

"Rouge...calm down." Yang jumped down from her bed. "You just had a nightmare...you don't know what you're even saying right now."

"No…" Rouge shook her head. "...that was no nightmare. I killed them. I killed them. I killed them. I remember killing them." Her eyes unfocused and she began shaking violently.

"Someone go get Jaune!" Yang yelled as she tried to get closer but Rouge only shrunk further back from her touch.

Blake didn't hesitate to spring from her bed and bolt for the door. She swung it open and prepared to dash across the hall but to her surprise, Jaune was already sitting outside JNPR's room, although he didn't appear aware yet of the panic that was going.

He was just sitting there, back propped up against the door, one leg extended, his other knee brought up to his chest, and a pair of earbuds connected to a small pocket radio in his ears. The moment he saw Blake though, his eyes widened and he scrambled to his feet, whipping off the earbuds in the process.

They opened their mouths simultaneously but Rouge's scream cut them both off and at the same time told him everything either of them had meant to ask or say. She stepped to the side as he lunged forward and into the room.

"Rouge!" He slid to his knees and wrapped her in a hug, bringing her head into his chest and squeezing her tightly.

"Big brother!" She curled into a ball and pressed herself more tightly into his embrace as her sobbing grew uncontrollable.

"Shh...shh…" He began rocking back and forth and gently rubbed her hair. Every once in a way he would plant a small kiss on her head. "It's okay Rouge, It's okay now. None of that was your fault. You understand that, right?"

She merely shook her head and attempted to say something but it was inaudible to most of them. "Rouge, all that blame you're feeling, put it on me...remember that? Everything is because I couldn't save you in time...because I walked away from you all." He repeated this several times.

Blake and Yang shared a concerned look with one another. It appeared to have a calming effect on Rouge as her sobs turned into the occasional sniffle and hiccup, but they were hardly the healthiest words they had ever heard. There was no way he could take all that blame on himself. Was he planning to do that for every one of his sisters? He would break under the pressure long before they reached the end.

Finally, Rouge's sniffling turned into snores as she slipped back off to sleep. "Here, let me get her." Yang stepped forward and slowly pulled her from Jaune's hands and placed her once more on Ruby's bed. Ruby wrapped her arms around her waist and layed down next to her.

"Sorry about that." Jaune mumbled as he stumbled to his feet and turned towards the door.

"I think maybe you should stay." Yang said resolutely, causing several eyes to turn to her.

"In _our_ room?" Weiss hissed quietly from her bed.

"I'd feel more comfortable if he was here in case that happens again." Yang turned on Weiss and the heiress could only grumble something about 'indecency' as she averted her eyes.

"If that's fine...I'll just sleep in the corner." Jaune closed the door and slipped down on the wall right next to it.

"Sure you don't want to share a bed?" Yang winked playfully and although she couldn't see it in the dark room, Blake saw his face turn beet red. He closed his eyes and tilted his head down instead of responding to her, probably out of sheer embarrassment more than anything. "You're no fun." Yang smiled smugly as she hopped back up into her bed. Blake gave him one last look before she went back to her bed as well.

He may not have looked like much to them, but he had been the only one to calm his sister down. She didn't know what his sisters felt about him before they went crazy, but she was willing to bet he was very important to them.

* * *

Weiss did her best not to let out a loud yawn as she set her breakfast-tray down at the table.

"Didn't get much sleep?" Pyrrha inquired politely from the other side. Not that she was one to talk. She had barely been sleeping at all lately, if the bags under her eyes were any indication. Not that many would be able to in her situation. Her partner was out there, committing any number of atrocities this very moment while she was here at Beacon just waiting for some kind of sign.

"Rouge gave us quite the scare last night." Blake mumbled as she took a spot next to Weiss. It was only the two of them that had left the room already. Yang was taking her shower right now and they all knew that would take forever. Ruby was just starting to wake up but Rouge was out like a light, thankfully. Jaune was awake but remained huddled in the corner with his earbuds on. Neither one of them had really known what to say so they just let him be. Better their more social member take care of that.

"That and there is the fact we let a _man_ sleep in our room. I practically had to sleep with one eye open." Weiss huffed and took an irritated bite into her apple.

"He just lost almost his entire family, Weiss. I doubt he's having any indecent thoughts of you right now." Blake rolled her eyes at her theatrics. Weiss wanted to retort, but she did bring up a valid reasoning. Who was to say it wasn't his presence that had kept the younger sister from throwing another tantrum too? In the end it was the right thing to do, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"So _that's_ where he was." They glanced up to see Pyrrha giving them an odd look. It wasn't entirely unwarranted. He had been supposed to sleep in their room after all. Weiss couldn't help but feel there was a little more in her gaze than just that though.

"Don't pay it much mind." Weiss attempted to wave off whatever concerns it was that were clouding her brain. "Once you all sort out your differences I'm sure he'll have no problem spending the night in your room." To her confusion, Pyrrha's look only grew more peculiar after she said that.

"About that…" Pyrrha started slowly, cautiously. "...if he spent the night in your room, he must be somewhat comfortable around you. That means he might be willing to listen to you. Could you help us convince him into going after Joan?"

Weiss and Blake swapped glances for only a second before turning back to Pyrrha. "Sorry, but we've actually already agreed to aide him in his endeavor and we'll be going about it his way." Weiss stated this firmly, as if she were talking to a client.

A small frown crossed Pyrrha's face for a second but it disappeared almost as quickly as it came. "He has no intention of going after Joan first and despite what we said stills wants to break her sword." She spoke evenly, almost in an overly polite tone.

This caused Weiss to narrow her eyes but before she could respond, Blake beat her too it. "Going after Autumn first makes the most sense. She is an Aura seeker, a really rare ability. If we get her on our side we don't have to sit around waiting for them to act first."

"Besides," Weiss intervened just as Pyrrha opened her mouth to retort. "Breaking their swords is the only surefire chance we have. Your plan puts us all in danger if it doesn't work."

"And following him doesn't?" Pyrrha looked at both of them in disbelief. "He only managed to free one sister before he got sent to the hospital. His youngest sister. I'm sorry, I don't mean to insult Joan's twin but he is nothing like her, despite how much he might seem to be at first. I...don't feel like I can count on him."

"You're not entirely wrong." Weiss started slowly and a bit of hope sparked in Pyrrha's eyes. "He does seem like an unreliable dunce. However, our leader has decided to put her trust in him. That's all the reasoning we need." She glanced at Blake to see her nodding in agreement.

"...I thought you two would understand." Pyrrha whispered under her breath as all the hope she had in her eyes died. Without saying another word, she picked up her tray and left the table, making her way to sit with CFVY instead.

Weiss closed her eyes and gave a small sigh.

For the first time since they entered Beacon, a schism had formed between RWBY and JNPR.

* * *

Yang gave a rejuvenated stretch as she stepped out of the bathroom from her morning shower and back into their dorm room. Nothing washed away the concerns of yesterday like nice warm water running down your skin and a comb through your hair. At least not for her.

She did a quick headcount in the room but was a little surprised to find only Ruby and Rouge still present. Weiss and Blake being gone wasn't very surprising as they had likely went out to get an early breakfast. They knew it was pointless waiting for her. Still, she had half expected the new guy to stick around while his sister was still asleep.

Although it didn't look like she was going to have anymore scares like last night judging by how dead to the world she was right now. "Alright, Rubes. Shower is yours." Yang hiked a thumb over her shoulder but Ruby gave a small shake of the head.

"I'm going to wait for Rouge to wake up, first." She glanced back at the girl in her bed. "Jaune asked me to keep an eye on her for him."

"Oh?" A playful smirk crossed Yang's face as she stalked up to her sister. "He must trust you quite a bit...leaving you with his precious sister. You better not mess up or he might break Crescent Rose as punishment."

"H-he wouldn't do that!" Ruby eyed her baby across the room wearily. "...Would he?"

Yang shrugged. "Beats me. But he can break unbreakable swords. Makes sense to assume he could break a normal weapon without much effort." Now that she thought about it, she really didn't know all that much about the guy. The whole time the only thing he talked about were his sisters. It was almost like he existed solely for their sake. She understood what it meant to be a doting sibling, but she had her own life to live too. "Where did he go anyway?"

"He said he was going for a jog around campus." Ruby looked out the window and pointed down to the courtyard just outside. Yang followed her finger and caught sight of a small blob of blonde as he made his way towards the edge of the campus before turning to run the perimeter of the academy.

"Huh, well he certainly is diligent." Yang leaned against the window and watched him until he disappeared from sight.

"...I really want to help him. Both him and Rouge." Ruby's words were barely a whisper and Yang peeked at her out of the corner of her eye. These two certainly had it rough. Their parents were gone and their sisters were responsible. Yang couldn't imagine the idea of having to hunt Ruby down after she killed their father. It honestly hurt just to even try and plot out that scenario.

Yet he seemed to be holding together pretty well. It was all probably still a shock to him. Sooner or later he would break down though. It would help if he had more of his sisters by his side to help support him when that finally happened. "...Me too, Ruby. Me too."

That decided it. She was going to be lending him a hand, which meant it was time she got to know him. Ruby had her hands full with Rouge. Neither Weiss nor Blake were the greatest at making friends. Pyrrha and the others still hadn't warmed up to him yet so that really left it up to her. Not that it was a bother. She was interested anyways.

"I'll meet you at breakfast." Yang gave a small wave as she walked out of the room.

"Bye, sis!" Ruby called after her just before she shut the door.

She had a pretty good idea of where Jaune would be on the campus going by the pace he had been jogging at but she decided against that. Even if she found him she might have to make a small sprint to catch up and she didn't feel like getting all sweaty in her school uniform, at least not right after her shower. So instead she went to where he had started in the courtyard and plopped down on a bench as she waited for him to cycle back around.

As she did she closed her eyes and just basked in the rays of the rising sun, swinging her head from side to side and kicking her legs every so often while humming her favorite tune. It wasn't often she got to just sit down and relax. She was almost always off starting some kind of ruckus or getting into other kinds of mischief with her team. It was actually kind of nice to do things like this once in awhile, especially when the sun felt so nice and warm when mixed with the chilly morning air.

Finally, she heard the ragged breaths of Jaune as he jogged back into the courtyard. She opened her eyes just in time he see him stop and double over in front of the water fountain, gasping for breath.

He hadn't even noticed her there yet. Perfect.

She hopped to her feet and strolled sneakily over to him, only realizing when she was a couple steps away that he had a pair of earbuds in. He couldn't even hear her.

He finally composed himself enough to take a drink and just as he leaned over the water fountain and put his hand on the dial, she jabbed him in the sides with her fingers. "Gyah!" He let out a startled yelp and twisted the nob hard, causing the water to blast out full-force and splash him in the face.

Yang stumbled back and let out a roar of laughter, she couldn't believe that had gone so perfect! He hadn't even seen it coming at all.

"Dang it, Ciel! That's not funny!" Jaune sputtered and shook his head, spraying water everywhere as he whirled on her. The moment his blue eyes made contact with her lilac ones though the next words he was about to shout died on his tongue. Instead he stood there and flapped his gums but no sound came out except for the occasional squeak.

"What? You can talk to Ciel but you can't talk to me?" Yang leaned forward while wrapping her arms behind her back as she gave a playful wink.

"I-umm...I gotta go." Jaune barely lifted a finger to point past her and started off.

"Really? Me too!" Yang spun around and fell into place with him. "Classes start soon after all." He sped up his pace but she matched it with ease so he slowed down to a near crawl but even then he couldn't shake her. "So what kind of music do you listen to?"

"H-hey!" Without waiting for an answer she snatched one of his earbuds and put it on.

" _Now onto the weather. Clear skies and lots of sun for Central Vale as summer-"_ She almost immediately pulled the earbud out like it was contaminated

"Who listens to the news while jogging anymore?" She tried not to give a shudder. How boring! Now that she was looking though, he was pulling a small radio out of his pocket. She had just assumed it had been an mp3 player.

"...I was hoping to hear something about my sisters." Oh.

Well great, now she felt like a real jerk.

Okay, time to do damage control. "That's cool. So did you get us any leads oh great detective?" She smirked playfully but to her annoyance he didn't seem to react positively at all.

"Nothing new. They're still only talking about Domremy." He averted his face away from her as he spoke now and she barely managed to hear him.

"You know I'm over here, right? Unless you're talking to someone else that I can't see." He gave a tired sigh and slightly turned his head back towards her. She gave a bright grin as their eyes made contact and a small blush colored his cheeks.

He clearly didn't have much social interaction. Fortunately for him, he was now walking with a master of it! "So where did you even get that thing? I didn't even know they made them anymore. They're like from my dad's era." She pointed to his pocket radio as he wrapped the cord to his earbuds around it.

"...It was a birthday gift from my sisters when I was eight." A couple seconds went by and just as she thought she was going to have to coerce more out of him he started back up."I didn't really use it much at first. But as my sisters started going out and accomplishing great things, they started getting mentioned more and more frequently on the news. I...couldn't join them, I had to stay at home and train. However, when I heard about them on this radio, it made them feel...closer."

Just like before, he became more talkative when the subject was of his sisters. This guy really wasn't much of anything without them it would seem. Yeesh. Surely he had some kind of hobby other than keeping track of them. "What kind of weapons did you train with?"

He looked perplexed by her question for a moment before shaking his head. "I was trained to use my fists. Anything else would get in the way of breaking my sisters' swords." And somehow he managed to make that about them too.

"Don't get me wrong, considering what's happened, it's probably a good thing you trained so hard for that, but didn't you ever want to try something else? I mean, it's not like your only purpose in life is breaking those swords." She almost immediately regret those words as a self-depreciating smile spread across his face.

"That's...exactly what my life is." He stated this simply, without any hesitation or doubt. He had been raised to believe his only worth was destroying the swords.

"I bet your sisters didn't believe that." Those words left her mouth before she even realized she thought them. Jaune's eyes went wide and he stopped dead in his tracks. Yang took another couple steps forward before turning around to face him. "I'm sure they want you to go out and live your life the way you want to. Trust me, I'm a big sister myself. I know this kind of stuff." She patted her chest proudly and gave him a knowing smirk.

He once more looked her in the eyes and blinked several times before giving a small smile. "Well, once we break all the swords...I'll have to go find something new to do anyways."

"That's the spirit!" That might be the first optimistic thing she heard leave his mouth. "I'll be sure to help you out too!" She skipped forward and threw her arm over his shoulder, once more causing a deep blush to spread across his face. "For now though, how about we actually work on getting you up to snuff? I'm not bad in hand-to-hand combat myself. We can spar after classes until we get your sisters back."

Words failed to leave his mouth so he gave a small nod which was good enough for her. "Great! Now let's go get some breakfast. I'm starving." She took the arm on his shoulder and put him in a headlock as she started dragging him forward.

He was certainly different than most of the other guys here at Beacon. He was severely lacking in confidence and certainly didn't have any social skills. He was also a tad too obsessed with his sisters. But he was a nice guy and Ruby seemed to like him.

And really, that was good enough for Yang.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 03**

 _Family Curse_

* * *

"Here we are, Jaune, Ciel. I hope you two are ready!" Violet stood triumphantly in front of the gates of Hell, her hands placed on her hips and her legs spread wide.

Jaune shrunk back and did his best to hide behind Ciel, her blue hair tickling his nose. "I don't want to do this, please don't make me go in there." He was only ten years old. He was too young to be put through this kind of torture.

"I-If this was about that prank the other day, Vi...I'm really sorry. I won't ever do it again. I promise." Ciel was trying to look brave but even she was shaking like a leaf.

Violet spun back to them and pointed dramatically. "Don't be a couple of babies! This is for all our sakes. I just turned seventeen and am now an official adult by the standards of Vale. I don't have much time before I go to Beacon...but I swear, before I leave I will defeat our family curse! And the two of you will help me see it done!"

"She's gone off the deep end." Ciel muttered as quietly as possible.

"Maybe she just doesn't want to embarrass herself in front of all the kids at Beacon?" Jaune could kind of understand that line of thought.

"That's fine, but why did the two of us have to be the ones dragged into this nightmare with her?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Jaune and Ciel jumped in the air and let out loud shrieks, not expecting Violet to suddenly be so close to them. "The two of you have the weakest constitution of all our siblings! If the three of us together can overcome this obstacle, then even the others will follow boldly behind! So let's together lead them to a brighter future...for all Arcs!" When did Violet become such an inspirational speaker? He knew she had a way with words, but this was over the top.

"You can spin all the fancy words you want, Vi. There is no way in Hell I'm taking a step further towards that deathtrap." Ciel spun on her heels and grabbed Jaune by the shoulder. "Come on, bro."

"Oh...I didn't think I was going to have to use _that_ to coerce you." Ciel stopped hard at Violet's words

"You wouldn't…"

"I would."

Jaune didn't understand. What was _that_?

"...Sorry, Jaune. We just have to be strong." Wait, what was happening right now?

"Ciel, no! Don't make me!" He turned to bolt but her grip on his shoulder tightened and against his will he was dragged kicking and screaming closer to his doom.

"Welcome to Cinder Point. How many?" An acne-riddled teenager at the ticket booth to the amusement park asked. If he noticed Jaune's wails and screams he did a good job of not showing it.

"One adult, two kids. One day pass, please." Violet handed him the money for the tickets and just like that sealed their fates.

"Just be brave, Jaune." Silent tears rolled down Ciel's face as she stared in horror at the plethora of rides on the other side of the gate. Rides guaranteed to bring out their motion sickness in the worst possible ways.

"Today is the day we live in fear no more!" Violet strolled purposely in. "Today we defeat our motion sickness!" Ciel and Jaune did not share in her enthusiasm. "You there!" Violet pointed to the first worker they saw when they walked into the park. "Direct me to your most formidable ride!"

The elderly man stopped sweeping the sidewalk for a moment before he raised a shaky finger and pointed to a towering roller coaster in the distance. Written across it were the words Top Thrill Duster.

Ciel and Jaune gulped simultaneously and to their horror turned to see a challenging smirk across Violet's face. "Perfect. Let's go."

"W-wait! Vi, can we talk about this?"

"Yeah! Maybe we should choose one of the easier rides first? Work our way up?" Neither of their words deterred her at all.

"Nonsense! Go big or go home! That's the Arc family motto!"

"So is "Girls always look for a man with confidence!" You don't see us following that one too well!"

"It's not our fault the men around the village don't have any backbone! No offence Jaune."

"None taken, but I think we're getting off point."

"He's right! Come on, Vi! Take pity on us! We came in here with you, didn't we!?"

"No! We're doing this! We can't back out now!" He disagreed. They still had plenty of time to turn around. Judging by the look on Ciel's face she felt the same as him.

Regardless of how much they begged and pleaded though, Violet would not be swayed. Before they even really knew it, they were sitting in the second row of the rollercoaster car, Violet seated alone on the seat in front of them.

"Ciel...I'm scared." He gripped his sister's hand tightly and he felt her squeeze back. The tracks ahead of them went straight forward before tilting directly upwards at a ninety degree angle where it took them unbearably high up before racing straight back down in what looked to him like sure death.

"Me too, Jaune. Me too." She barely whispered these words. "But is it just me...or is Vi shaking?" He looked ahead to see that Ciel might actually be right. Violet appeared to be trembling in her seat.

"Violet...are you scared too?"

"N-no! Of course not." Her voice just cracked!

"Oh Hell no!" Ciel screamed and began fiddling with her seatbelt. "If even you're scared there is no way I'm going through with this!"

 _Ding_

Unfortunately for them all it was too late as the lights started ticking.

 _Ding_

 _Ding_

 _DING_

All three of them screamed simultaneously as the cars rocketed forward and across the track. They continued to scream bloody murder as it veered straight up and into the sky and if it was even possible they screamed even louder when it began to fall back towards the earth. They only stopped screaming when their stomachs churned and they had to snap their mouths shut or risk puking all over the ride.

Before the attendants could even take their seat belts off for them, Jaune and Ciel had somehow flung them off themselves, stumbled off the ride and ran to the nearest trashcan.

Growing up in a house where all eight siblings had motion sickness, they had long mastered the art of sharing a trashcan without colliding heads. It hadn't been difficult. It only took smacking heads once and missing the trashcan to learn that if you didn't want a headache and puke on yourself it was better to make room for your siblings.

After finally relieving their stomachs, Jaune and Ciel pulled their faces from the depths of the trashcan but continued to lean on it for support. To their surprise, Violet wasn't with them. They both looked around for their sister, hoping she hadn't tripped before making it to the trashcan. They had all been there at one point or another.

The sun broke free from the clouds, obscuring their vision. They squinted their eyes against the bright light, and a shadowy image appeared before them, standing tall and proud. "No way...she did it?" Ciel whispered in disbelief.

"Violet…" Jaune took a couple steps closer to his sister.

She still didn't say anything, but her stance was proof of her victory over their family ailment.

Their eyes adjusted to the light and Violet's image became clear. Her orange eyes were filled with a strange determination...and her cheeks were puffed out unnaturally.

"...Violet." His words which had once been filled with pride and admiration turned to disgust.

"Are you freaking serious!? Just spit it out, damnit!" Ciel deadpanned.

Violet shook her head and he was pretty sure he heard the puke sloshing around inside her mouth.

"Vi! That's gross! And what the Hell is with that stance?! It doesn't look cool standing there like you achieved some great victory with puke in your mouth!" Her orange eyes flickered with doubt and she turned to Jaune...as if to see if he agreed.

"...Sorry, Violet." He averted his eyes, unable to look at her any longer.

Without any dignity left, Violet ran to the trashcan and let out the puke she had been holding.

Needless to say, none of them conquered their motion sickness that day.


	7. Scars

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Scars_

* * *

Rouge gave a tired sigh as she flipped closed the latest book she had pulled from the shelf of Beacon's library. She... loved reading. Books were much easier to deal with than people. They existed solely for your entertainment or to provide you with knowledge. Books never told you lies or tried to take advantage of you.

Completely unlike others she knew when growing up. It was sometimes a burden being the wielder of one of the most powerful swords. When others talked to you, it was often hard to tell of their intentions; were they genuinely interested in getting to know her, or did they only want to get close to her because of her sword?

In a way, that's what Rouge liked about Ruby when they had met upon enrolling at Signal. Ruby had no idea what Fia Vesta was. To her, it was just another weapon. And Ruby loved weapons. It was odd, but for the first time Rouge was happy that her sword had made her friend. Because that time it was a genuine one.

Other than Ruby, Rouge only had Autumn to talk to while at Signal. No one else seemed... real, not to her. Which was why she picked up the habit of reading. It was a nice escape from everyone and their unknown intentions. With books, she could just be herself. Kind of like how she was with her family.

Now her family was gone. Her parents... dead, killed by her sisters, whose whereabouts were unknown. Her sword... destroyed. If she was being honest, she wasn't entirely sad it was gone. When she was younger she had been excited to be chosen by the sword. It made her just like all her older sisters and she couldn't wait to begin training with them.

However, it was because she had been chosen by the last sword that their father had maimed Jaune's hands. If she had never been compatible with the sword... then maybe he wouldn't have had to suffer. It was her fault that Jaune had been forced to take on the Shatter Glyphs and her fault that a barrier had formed between him and the rest of them. Maybe if she hadn't been special like them, she could have been by his side in being ordinary. He wouldn't have had to be alone.

Now that her sword was gone... he didn't have to be alone. At least, that was what she thought initially. However, the rest of her sisters still needed to be stopped. And Jaune was the only one capable of stopping them. Rouge knew how to fight, even without her sword. Jaune had taught her martial arts, often imparting what he learned on her insistence. It was just one way she tried to remain close to him and make up for what she did.

It wasn't like she needed to learn martial arts. Her sword was strong enough she could've been entirely reliant on its fire-powers. No matter how hot she made the flames they wouldn't burn her and she could easily subdue anyone with just a small flick of her wrist. Even if she could leave Beacon, it wasn't like she was able to break the swords, however. Jaune was the only one that could do that.

Placing him once again by himself.

That was why they were here at Beacon. They needed allies, _he_ needed allies. Just because she was of no use in combat didn't mean she was completely useless. There had to be some way she could contribute to helping him rescue their sisters. The only thing she came up with was research. Maybe the answer to why this all happened was hidden away somewhere in these books. Maybe there was another way to stop them, without him having to put himself in any more danger.

So before Ruby had gone to class, Rouge asked to be guided to the library. She had been here ever since, mostly by herself. Although Ruby had stopped by on lunch to bring her a sandwich. Now that she looked at the time, classes were nearly over which meant Ruby was probably going to be stopping by again soon.

She gave a small smile at the thought. She had been sad when her only friend had been pushed forward two years and allowed early entrance into Beacon. She had wanted to do the same when she found out, but their father was against it. Attending school properly was an important tradition for the Arcs. It helped build social skills and receive proper education with their swords. Skipping would only serve to stunt their growth.

Ironic, that he could say such things and yet he refused to let Jaune leave the village. He was stuck being home-schooled, robbing him of any interaction with others. She didn't understand how their father could take such opposite stances in the way he raised the rest of them compared to the way he raised him. Was it possible...had he been expecting this to happen one day? At the very least prepared for the possibility?

"I figured I would find you here." Rouge gave a small start as her brother pulled out the chair across the table and sat down in front of her. He gave her a gentle smile and admired the large stacks of books she had scattered across the table.

"Where have you been most of the day?" She pushed one of the stacks aside so there was nothing between the two of them.

"Training, mostly." He flexed his arm, despite the fact it wasn't very muscular. "Also tried to talk to Ozpin to see if I should be doing anything for him, seeing as we're essentially freeloading at his school."

Rouge gave a small nod. "...Maybe you should also see if he will offer you more support? Maybe a teacher. He promised you two teams...but Joan's…" Her voice trailed off. She didn't really want to think about them right now. They were Joan's best friends, weren't they? Friends of Joan's would surely want to help her whole family if they could. Just because Joan wasn't Jaune's number one priority didn't mean he wasn't going to attempt to free her eventually.

After all, Joan was Jaune's twin. No one had been closer to him than her. Rouge didn't doubt that of all their sisters, Jaune wanted to save her the most too. He was just trying to be practical about the way in which he went after them. This was what he had been trained to do almost his whole life after all. They on the other hand, were trained to fight Grimm. You would think they would understand that he understood best how to handle the situation.

Jaune gave a small shake of the head. "We've asked enough from him already. Providing us at all with a place where I can bring you all back to safely is more than I could have dreamed. He and the staff here have a duty to protecting this place and ensuring its students' futures. Saving our sisters...that's my job. The fact that even one team is willing to help is good enough for me."

How... could he say that?

He had been so mercilessly beaten when she found him and the only one he fought had been Violet. Of course, he had been severely wounded from before during his battle with her. He likely wouldn't have been able to beat any of them in his condition. The more help he had the better... at least, that was what she thought initially. Maybe it _was_ better with only fewer people, especially if they weren't really sure of the intentions of others.

"So what have you been reading?" He changed the subject and picked up one of the books and flipped it open. He almost physically blanched at the heavy wording contained inside.

"Just about living weapons and how they are created." Rouge began flipping through the stacks of books until she found the one she wanted. "Although, no one really knows how they did it anymore. The process to give weapons a soul and fill them with Ambience has been lost."

"Hmm, probably a good thing judging by what happens. There are other living weapons other than the Arc Swords?" Jaune set down the book he had opened and gave her his attention.

"Kind of." Rouge twirled a hand in the air as she tried to think about how to explain it. "There used to be a lot of them. Before humanity learned how to harness the power of Dust, Ambience was our main means of creating powerful weapons. Now that the method has been lost the number of weapons has dwindled as they were broken over time. There are several others but none of them in Vale and none of them as strong as the Seven Sacred Arc Swords." Or she supposed she should call them the Six Sacred Arc Swords now.

"The others were broken? Does that mean there are other people with Shatter Glyphs in the world?" His interest piqued at the idea of not being the only one capable of freeing their sisters. It hurt her to have to shake her head and watch the budding hope on his face fall.

"None of the other living weapons were created quite as well as the Arc Swords. Our ancestor... Noir Arc. She is the one that crafted them. No one knows how she was able to make them so strong."

"...Noir Arc." Jaune mumbled the name uncertainly, a far-away look in his eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

"No... I just feel like the name is familiar. Maybe dad talked about her once or something? She did make your swords after all." He gave a small shake of the head and his eyes refocused.

Rouge gave a subtle nod.

"She should be one of our most famous ancestors but I had never even heard of her myself. The books only occasionally mention her and I cannot determine why. It almost feels like...someone tried to hide something."

"Hmm..." Jaune drummed his fingers against the table and he appeared to consider her words carefully. She couldn't help but wonder if this information was useful to him or not.

"You guys could spend all day thinking about this stuff, _or_ you could come spar with me like your promised earlier!" Jaune gave a small yelp as Ruby's older sister patted him roughly on the shoulder.

"There is benefit to doing research." The blonde's partner appeared next to her and picked up one of the many books before flipping it open to a random page.

"Blake's right. We're not going to be of any help if we don't prepare ourselves with the proper knowledge necessary to combat these swords." Ruby's partner spoke from just behind Rouge, startling her.

"Maybe it would be best if you took a break, Rouge?" Ruby popped up just next to her and gave a concerned grin. "You've been here all day."

"...I just want to be helpful." She mumbled under her breath.

"I know!" Ruby's eyes immediately lit up. "How about we make you a new weapon? Oh, oh. I can design it for you and everything! It'll be a lot of fun! I promise!" Rouge turned and stared at Ruby with wide eyes. A new weapon... that wasn't a bad idea. Maybe then she could be useful to Jaune and their sisters.

"Fia Vesta was a rapier, right?" Weiss placed her weapon, Myrtenaster, on the table. "Since I have some experience with them, I can tweak your initial design and recommend the Dust components necessary to at least somewhat replicate your old sword's capabilities. It won't be nearly as powerful as what you're used to but it should be sufficient. All the actual construction will be up to Ruby, though."

Rouge perked up as the chances of this happening became more probable. There was just one problem... would Jaune even allow her to fight? She turned to him with a look of pleading in her eyes and saw he already appeared to be weighing the pros and cons. Before she could even ask, Ruby vanished and appeared next to him, clinging to his arm.

"Please, Jaune! Let me make her a weapon! Please, please, please, please!" She fired off rapidly. He flinched back at her sudden proximity and a deep blush colored his face. Rouge couldn't help but giggle at their interaction.

"O-okay, it's fine. I don't see any harm in it." His eyes darted anywhere but at Ruby's face, attempting not to make eye-contact with her.

"Oh, thank you!" Ruby threw herself into him and wrapped him in a big hug, causing him to go an even deeper shade of red. In a flash, she ended the hug and appeared next to Rouge again. "Come on! I got a sketchbook back in my room! We can start right away!"

Rouge didn't even have a chance to wave goodbye as she was yanked out of her chair and out of the library. Still, she couldn't help but be a little happy. It wouldn't be like before, but she would have a weapon of her own again.

And this time, she would use it to save people, not harm them.

* * *

"I'm kind of surprised." Yang remarked as Jaune and her walked down the hallways, heading towards Beacon's sparring room.

Weiss had quickly taken off after her partner and his sister while Blake had stayed behind to put away all the books Rouge had taken out.

He glanced at her out of the corner of one eye. She walked with her arms in the air and hands behind her head, staring ahead and not at him as she spoke. He really wasn't sure what she was talking about when she spoke, not that he ever was. Truthfully, she was the one he found most difficult to deal with of his new allies.

Why then, was it her that kept seeking him out? Didn't she know how uncomfortable she made him? Odds are, she probably did and that was why she came to him. If he was going to talk to any of them, he would've rather it been Ruby. She seemed very nice, and it helped that he was older than her so she didn't feel quite so intimidating to talk to. Besides, Rouge already knew her so that would make it easier. It was also because she was Rouge's friend that he decided to let them spend time together instead of interfering with that.

Weiss would have been a close second and if he was being honest, she might be one of the most beautiful girls he had ever met. Although, he seriously doubted his ability to get out a single sentence around her in a one-on-one conversation without stumbling all over his words. So yeah, talking to her probably wasn't happening anytime soon.

Blake actually kind of reminded him of Rouge, her nose always in a book. She also didn't seem to be much of a talker herself which meant that even if he came across as awkward, maybe she would be fine with conversation with him. The only problem with that was... whenever he saw her she was with her overly talkative partner, who happened to currently be next to him.

"Did you hear me? I said I'm surprised." He had to fight the urge to give an exhausted sigh. For whatever reason, this girl seemed determine to get him talking more and wasn't going to stop until the two of them could have conversations.

It wasn't like that was completely a bad thing. Some part of him should be happy that such a beautiful girl was going out of her way to help him get better at socializing with others. Lord knows he needed the experience. He just kind of wished he could peg why she seemed so gung-ho about it. It almost felt like he was being deceived by her. Beautiful girls didn't just talk to ordinary guys and help them out for free. She had to be after something, he just didn't have any idea what it was she hoped to gain from spending time with him.

"What... are you surprised about?" He really had no choice for now except to go along with whatever game she was playing with him.

Yang gave him a sideways glance and he could see a small victorious smirk spread across her face at having got him to talk.

"I thought you would be more against your sister making a new weapon. I wouldn't think you would want her going out there to fight. Of course, Ruby can be pretty persuasive. She's adorable when she begs, isn't she?"

He was just going to ignore her last question. That one sounded like a trap just waiting to go off.

"Rouge... isn't allowed to leave Beacon. They'll arrest her if she steps off the Academy premise. Even if she builds a weapon she can't go after our sisters. If they come here though, I would feel more comfortable if she at least had a way to protect herself."

"Huh, you've got yourself pretty put together. I'm kinda impressed." She wasn't the only one. He couldn't really explain why, but since he had woken up in the hospital, his goals and decisions had been pretty clear. Maybe it was all those years of training kicking in? He had been pretty much born for this very purpose and now it was time for him to fulfill that mission.

What exactly did that leave for him once he was done? He didn't exactly have any other talents. Once he broke all the swords he would have accomplished the whole point of his existence. Yang suggested he find other hobbies but how did he even have time to do that when he had to remain so focused on rescuing his sisters?

He supposed these were questions for when he was closer to the end. He still had six swords to break and until his sisters made another conspicuous move he couldn't do anything more than train and wait.

"Here we are! I hope you're ready to get your ass kicked!" They finally arrived at the training room but in no way was he really ready. Especially when he saw all the students currently in there, sparing against one another already. Just great, plenty of witnesses to watch him get his ass kicked.

He followed Yang into the room as she searched for a training ring that wasn't occupied. The sight of familiar red hair caught his eye and he stopped to watch as Joan's partner, Pyrrha Nikos, fought against the entirety of team CRDL by herself. Her teammates, Ren and Nora, stood off to the side and observed quietly.

She was... amazing.

There was no other way to put the way she fought. Joan had mentioned that she was the champion of some tournament but watching her fight really set in how powerful she was.

Even outnumbered four to one and by guys considerably bigger than her too she had no trouble dominating the battle. Every parry of the shield and swing of her sword was perfectly executed and made with such grace he could've sworn he was watching a dancer, not a fighter.

"Like what you see?" Yang wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at him and another deep blush colored his face. He hadn't meant to be so mesmerized but her performance was unlike anything he had ever seen. There was good reason she thought herself capable of dealing with his twin, with or without his help.

"...She and Joan must have made quite the pair." He couldn't help but imagine they were an unbeatable partnership together.

Yang gave a small snort.

"What do you expect? You got two people with flawless offense and defense on the same team. I'm pretty sure they were undefeated in partner match-ups." Jaune gave a small nod as he paid slightly closer attention to the battle.

Something... was off.

"Their weapons…" He spoke aloud as he tried to put words to what he was seeing. "...is she altering the way they move?"

"Oh? You're pretty observant. I'm impressed." She gave him a rough pat on the shoulder. "She used to keep it a big secret, but her Semblance is Polarity, which means she can move any metal she touches as she pleases. She's pretty much unbeatable with it." It was more than just that, he could tell. There was no wasted movement. Every move she made was calculated, even when altering her opponent's. Every time her weapon mecha-shifted it was timed flawlessly. Pyrrha was an analytical fighter. There was only one way to beat people like her.

"Hey! I found us a spot. Hurry up!" Yang cut off his train of thought as she grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him forward. Her shout had caught several other's attention, including Pyrrha's, who was now looking over at the two of them curiously.

He quickly averted his eyes and stared at the back of Yang's hair instead, desperate not to make eye contact. After yesterday's awkward conversation in the library, he hadn't been able to bring himself to talk to any of Joan's teammates again. He was too afraid they were going to try again to convince him out of doing things the only way he was capable. They didn't understand because they were strong themselves, but if he didn't try to break the swords he was no good to anyone.

Maybe there was some merit to their way of doing things? He had no idea. It's not like he had actually tried to talk Joan out of it. Violet and Rouge had been inconsolable. Maybe Joan's teammates had a deeper bond with her than he did anymore? It hurt to think that way, but he had never gone out and made friends of his own where Joan had. It made sense that she was more important to him than he was to her.

Regardless, he couldn't bring himself to try things their way... because that undermined the whole point of his existence. If he didn't try to break the swords then what point was there to him even being here? So he avoided them, not wanting to risk having an argument with his twin's close friends. That was also why he had been outside their room last night when Blake had come looking for him. He never had the courage to even try and enter.

"Plop down right here real quick." Yang forcibly pushed him down onto a bench. She sat down right next to him and pulled out a couple extra training gloves exactly like the ones currently on her hands. "Let's get those wraps off your hands. These will work way better for what we're doing."

He had been so lost in thought he didn't realize what Yang was doing until it was almost too late. His mind went into panic mode as she grabbed the end of the wrap by his elbow.

"No!" He gave a sudden shout and tried to jump to his feet in a hurry. He couldn't let her see his hands. He didn't want anyone looking at his hands.

Unfortunately for him, Yang already had a firm grip on the wrap and the moment he jumped up it unwound down his arm and loosened around his fingers, causing them to tumbled off…

...completely exposing the scars for Yang to see.

* * *

It took Yang several seconds to realize what his fuss was all about.

He had jumped up with such panic she thought something had bit him. The look of pure horror on his face as his wraps fell off only further added to her confusion until she followed his eyes down to see what he was staring at. The moment she laid eyes on his hand they widened in shock and her mouth slipped open.

Calling the back of his hand... mutilated, felt like it was putting it lightly.

The entirety of his hand, even his fingers and knuckles was covered in a series of crisscrossing scars that could have only been from wounds so deep that his bones themselves had to be cut open. How was he even capable of holding anything with these hands... let alone fighting?

Wait a second.

Small things from before started to click into place. His grip when she shook his hand had been absurdly weak. He had the most difficult time holding even something like a pencil for an extended length of period and occasionally his hands would begin shaking uncontrollably. She had assumed these things were caused by some kind of jitters after the tragedy that had befallen his family... but that wasn't it at all.

His hands had been physically scalped open. As she realized this fact, irrational anger overtook her. Eyes flared red and her grip on his wrist unintentionally tightened.

" _Who_ did this to you?" She seethed out between clenched teeth.

Jaune averted his eyes, almost as if he was ashamed.

"The Shatter Glyphs... the only thing capable of destroying the swords. They have to be inscribed onto the bones of your hands." Her grip on his hand loosened and it fell helplessly to his side. He was quick to cover up the scars with his other hand in case anyone else was looking.

She got it now. She finally understood why he had turned out the way he was. Why he believed he only had one purpose to living. Those scars were old, even she could tell that. He must have been a child when he had them inscribed on his hands. It was entirely possible it had been drilled into his head since he got them that one day he might need to destroy the swords.

That was just stupid.

Yet how could she say that to him now? Now that he actually had to destroy the swords. It was almost like fate was telling him he only had one path in life.

She closed her eyes and gave a frustrated sigh. When she opened them back up they had returned to their natural lilac color.

"Sorry. I didn't know." The look of fear on his face slowly shifted to one of melancholy and she saw him flex his exposed hand.

"It's okay... I don't like to tell people. They... usually don't react well."

She supposed he was adding her to the list of people that hadn't reacted well. Somehow she couldn't let it end like that so she extended her hand towards him, holding up the wraps she had unraveled with the other.

"Bring it here. I'll rewrap it for you."

"I-I can do it myself." He shook his head quickly but she wasn't taking no for an answer and snatched his hand and brought it over to her.

"Just shut up and let me do it." Before he could protest any further she set to wrapping his fingers and he clamped his mouth shut. After several seconds, he sat back down on the bench next to her while she continued her work.

Her hands brushed against the scars as she worked her way up and he gave a small flinch but she chose to ignore it. She wasn't going to let it bother her, she was going to show him that she didn't care about his scars. She owed him at least that much.

"...Thanks." He mumbled as she finished.

"Don't mention it." Yang just couldn't find it in herself to pick on him right now, she almost didn't even want to spar him at all knowing his hands were like that. Yet she knew if she tried to back out of fighting him now he would think it was because of his scars. He was awkward about them enough as it was, she didn't want to add fuel to that fire.

She took a big breath and brought her hands up, slapping herself in the cheek and creating a loud smack that echoed across the room. "Alright!" Jaune gave a small jump at the noise and shout. "Let's get this show on the road! Show me what you got, Vomit Boy!" She skipped backwards and into the fighting ring, bringing her fists up into a defensive position as she did.

Jaune gave a small smile at her enthusiasm. He likely understood that she was just trying to act like nothing happened but he at least seemed to appreciate her effort. The smile almost quickly slipped from his face though as something seemed to catch his attention out of the corner of his eye. She turned her head slightly to see NPR and CRDL were now focusing on the two of them from the other side of the room. It made sense, they were probably curious about what he was capable of too.

For his part, Jaune seemed to become increasingly more nervous now that he knew they had an audience and he broke out in a cold sweat. His breathing became a little more erratic as he looked back at her. She gave a small shrug as if to tell him not to worry about them. He took several more deep, irregular breaths before he finally seemed to calm back down. Only once his breathing stabilized did he slip into a fighting stance of his own.

She smirked, glad to see his head in the game.

"Come at me!"

Before the words even left her mouth he vanished in a blur or yellow.

He was fast!

Yang ducked just in time and his outstretched fist flew over her head. With her head tucked low and him right in front of her, she was in a perfect counter position. She threw a left hook but once more he was gone in a blur and landed a couple feet away.

"Hoh... not bad." Yang grinned coyly, starting to feel a little excited about this fight now. She had been worried that he was paying too much attention to Pyrrha and the others, but that stress actually appeared to be channeling into adrenaline right now, making him solely focused on her.

His eyes darted all over her, never remaining in one place for a moment, almost as if he was analyzing her and looking for some chip in her defense. She was getting kind of tired waiting for him to attack first and inched her right foot forward.

The moment she did he was off like a rocket. She was expecting his accelerated assault. He was fast, sure, but nowhere near as quick as Ruby. His right foot swung out in a sweep, hoping to catch the leg she had extended. She bent herself lower to the ground and took the full brunt of his attack, taking the force of his blow and channeling its power into her Semblance.

His eyes widened when she didn't stumble and fall like he had likely predicted she would. The shock vanished almost immediately and was replaced with fear as she stepped forward and swung at him from below, aiming to uppercut his jaw. His body twisted and he twirled past her fist. As he finished his twirl he ended up just inside her guard and swung his other leg high in a powerful kick that caught her in the middle of the back.

She stumbled forward but managed to maintain her balance. She spun around and swung at him with a wild haymaker but he had already ducked low and her fist flew high over his head. He extended his elbow, catching her in the ribs and knocking the wind out of her lungs.

She gave a growl of frustration and unleashed a chamber kick that he dodged by nimbly skipping just backwards enough. Before she could bring her leg back down he caught her by the ankle and delivered an uppercut to the bottom of her calf.

She grimaced in pain and her eyes flashed red as her hair began to spark gold with flames. With her strength being enhanced by her Semblance, she pulled her leg free from his grip and caused him to stumble forward. He almost fell face-first into her fist as she gave a straight jab but at the last second he twisted his foot and fell to the left.

He dodged once more at the last second as he fell to the floor and tucked into a roll before springing to his feet from right below, catching her in the armpit with an uppercut.

Damn, this was beginning to get annoying. Not only was he quick on his feet but he was nimble as Hell. His attacks didn't particularly pack much power behind them but if she took enough of them even she would become worn down.

He had almost the complete opposite fighting style as she did. Whereas she stood her ground and took the brunt of the attack before retaliating with powerful hits of her own, he focused solely on dodging while getting in quick jabs wherever he could. Opponents like that could become increasingly frustrating to deal with... but they usually had the severe weakness of being brought down in a single strike if caught.

And every hit he landed was only making her stronger, so she had a feeling that if she could get in even just one hit he wouldn't be getting back up. Now if she could just get in that hit.

Her hair was practically alight now in golden flames as she swung at him with a series of vicious punches, giving loud screams of exhaustion with each one. He backpedaled away, bobbing and weaving past each punch without raising his arms to parry or guard them physically, instead preferring to let them fly past him.

She was swinging too fast now for him to possibly throw in a counterattack of his own and he was quickly losing ground as she forced him back to the edge of the ring. She grinned victoriously as he stepped on the line. One more punch and he would go over or she would knock him on his ass. Either way, it was her win.

His eyes narrowed for a second as he looked at the bracelet on her wrist. She swung forward and his own arm went up but not in a block like she expected. He tapped the button on Ember Celica, triggering it into active mode and causing it to discharge a Dust shell. She was so caught off guard by the act that she allowed the recoil to halt her punch and spin her sideways. His grip on Ember Celica remained firm and he was yanked forward with her, pulling him back once more away from the edge of the ring.

Before he let go, he twisted his hand and somehow pressed the locking mechanism. Ember Celica snapped off her wrist and he pulled it free from her before skipping back.

"..." She stared with fiery red eyes at her weapon that he was now holding in his open palm.

He had disarmed her right gauntlet so effortlessly. What's more, he had manipulated it beforehand to do what he wanted even while it was still on her wrist. A small rational part of her brain realized that was only natural. He had been trained specifically to counter weapons.

Although, that rational part of her mind was almost completely swallowed by rage now. No one just touched her weapons, and there was no way in Hell someone just stole them from her like a common pickpocket. Her red eyes flared dangerously and fire practically exploded from her hair.

His eyes widened in shock as she closed the distance between them in only a second. He dropped her weapon to the ground and barely dodged a haymaker that probably would have put him in the infirmary for a week. Yang grit her teeth and turned after him, raising a hand behind her head as she prepared to smash it into the ground. The remaining Gauntlet went into active mode and when she struck the ground it would discharge a shell, causing a shockwave that would knock Jaune off his feet.

Before she could bring her fist down, Jaune swung both hands forward... and clapped them together right in front of her face. The loud noise reverberated straight through her, shocking her so badly she forgot her anger and the arm that was poised to strike the ground went limp.

What... the Hell just happened? Her answer to that question was a knee to the gut that doubled her over and nearly dropped her to her knees. She raised her arms in a cross directly in front of her face just as Jaune delivered an uppercut that knocked her back upright. She stared at him in stunned silence, her own body still too slow to react even as he flew at her with a spinning kick. She barely blocked the strike with her elbow.

He left himself completely open to a counter attack while his leg was suspended in the air but in her stunned state Yang had no chance to take advantage of it.

He had... stopped her Semblance.

That clap had startled her out of her rage and shattered the momentum she had been building up throughout the whole fight. He had perfectly countered her Semblance without even actually striking her... no one had ever done that before.

Now he was the one controlling the flow as he pushed her back with a parade of blows that she could barely react to. She hadn't expected any of this. He had gotten thrashed by his sisters. Supposedly one of them had beat him to a pulp without even wielding her sword. Yet here she was getting her ass handed to her by that same guy? Just how ridiculously strong were his sisters then?

She grimaced in frustration and anger, another spark of red returning to her eyes. She wasn't going to be the one holding him back. Her pride wouldn't allow it, especially when it was her that had offered to train him. His right arm jabbed at her face and at that moment she threw a cross-counter, bending his arm to the side.

This time he couldn't react in time and took her punch directly in the cheek. His head jarred to the side and his arm remained stretched outwards. She spun around and grabbed him by the forearm before yanking him off his feet and flipping him over her shoulder before slamming him onto the ground on his back. He gave a horrible cough as she twirled around and plopped down onto his stomach with her butt.

"My win Vomit Boy!" She grinned playfully as she flicked him in the nose, doing her best not to show how winded she really was from their fight.

"...Your win." He relented quietly between gasps for breath. He looked rightly disappointed. He had the opportunity to finish her when he had caught her off guard but he hadn't been capable of landing a definitively winning blow. He had taken too long and she managed to reign her emotions back in check quick enough to put a swift end to the fight.

"You really surprised me there." She climbed off him and offered a hand to help him to his feet. "Where the heck did you learn to do something like that?" She was of course referring to the way he managed to throw her Semblance out of whack.

"..." He gratefully accepted her hand and she hoisted him to his feet. He appeared to consider his answer for another second before he began to speak slowly. "Using the swords requires a sound mind. If you're able to disturb the user's concentration you have a chance of disrupting the sword's ability. That saves me a Glyph charge which I can then use to break the sword. I was taught several techniques meant to surprise my opponents and disrupt the flow of their thoughts. I gambled on it working with your Semblance since it appeared to be triggered by anger."

"You had time to think of all that while we were fighting? Not to mention that trick you did with Ember Celica." She picked up her other Gauntlet and turned it once more into a bracelet before clipping it back to her wrist.

Jaune shrugged and scratched his cheek with one finger.

"I actually inspected your weapon while you were rewrapping my hand. Beyond that, I was just trained to think on the fly. The swords have very different abilities so I have to be equally versatile. I just wish... I had taken that training more seriously."

"You're this good and you didn't even seriously train!?" Did he have any idea how much effort she had to put into training to get where she was right now? Yet he was saying he didn't even train hard and he was nearly at her level? He must be joking.

"It's not like I didn't train at all... but I should already be at a level where I can counter the swords without any difficulty. Yet I can't even beat you in a match."

"Hey! Keep talking like that and I'll take it as an insult!" His eyes widened and he quickly began to shake his head. Before he could verbally apologize she cut him off. "You're actually pretty good. Don't let anyone say you're not. It's no big deal that you can't beat me. Besides, you never intended to do this on your own to begin with. That's why you came to us for help, isn't it?" He contemplated her words for a second before giving a small nod. "So there's no problem with not being perfect. We'll cover your weaknesses for you. That's what it means to be a team."

Those were words she had once heard her sister tell Weiss. Hopefully Ruby didn't mind that she was borrowing her words. Who knew she would be the one to say something so inspiring though? That was probably why she was the leader.

"...Team." He mumbled the word like it was some foreign concept.

Yang gave a big nod.

"That's right. Until we get your sisters back, you're a part of team RWBY. You better get used to us." As she said those words, she shot a backwards glance at Pyrrha and the others. They were already walking away, apparently having lost interest now that their fight was over. Jaune should have been a part of their team. Until they pulled their heads out of their asses, RWBY had no problems taking Jaune in.

She turned back to Jaune just in time to see a small smile spread across his face.

"Being on a team sounds... nice."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** That clap move Jaune did was lifted from the manga/anime Assassination Classroom.

Special Omake chapter this time supplied by Aegir01

* * *

 **Guest Omake**

 _Prank Time_

Written by Aegir01

* * *

Violet couldn't believe this. She had to leave right after Jaune had been crippled by their bastard of a father? Stupid, stupid training trip! And stupid, stupid her for forgetting it up until now! She continued to berate herself as she threw together her belongings in a rush. She was more than willing to blow off the whole trip to be there for her only brother, but her parents had not budged, and were able and willing to knock her out and drag her to the bus themselves. Someday…

She was forced to go, then, but surely she could depend on her sisters to look after Jaune for just a few days? Sure, they bickered sometimes, but with Jaune's hands mostly immobilized, even they should see the need to help. As she dashed out the door, she called over her shoulder, "Make sure to look after Jaune, alright?"

She barely caught the voice that yelled back, "Sure!" Reassured, she turned her thoughts to training with Ostrum Tempus.

She shouldn't have been reassured. For in her haste, she failed to recognize which sister had replied.

Ciel rubbed her hands together. Time to "help"!

* * *

"Open your mouth for the dustplane!" Ciel's chipper voice rang throughout the dining room. Jaune tried to shake his way out of her firm grip.  
"No! I'm not going to be babied by you! I haven't needed this done for at least six months! Stop, Ciel!"

Her megawatt grin didn't abate in the slightest as she started to move the spoon closer to his mouth. "Whoosh! It's coming in for a landing!"

Faced with a choice between giving in to his sister and getting a face full of the oatmeal, Jaune sighed in surrender and opened his mouth. Ciel flicked it upwards into his nose anyway. Jaune sat with a resigned look, trying desperately not to react, because that's exactly what she wanted.

* * *

Jaune was struggling with his scroll, trying to bring up the weather to see whether he would need an umbrella for his walk. He didn't even want to think about trying to tie his shoes…

"Oh, need help with your shoes?" One of his sisters asked as he tried to tap the darn weather icon.

Distracted as he was, he agreed absently as he finally pulled it up and saw that it should stay sunny for the next few hours.

"All set!" Jaune nodded in thanks and took a step forward.

Much like his eldest sister, Jaune occasionally got caught up enough to not pay attention to which of his sisters he was talking to. So it wasn't until he was most of the way through his step and his weight had shifted forward that the thought wait, wasn't that Ciel? crossed his mind.

This was, of course, just in time for him to trip and fall onto the nearest couch. Jaune glanced down at his shoes in resignation. Yep, his shoelaces had been tied alright. Tied together. Why me? Jaune lamented as he glanced around in the hopes of finding one of his sane sisters.

* * *

After Rogue had told him that the shower was free, Jaune trudged to the bathroom. These stupid bandages made it almost impossible to clean himself. Ah well, nothing for it but to try…

He entered the bathroom, the door swinging shut behind him.

"NOPE!"

The door blew almost off its hinges as Jaune tore through it at an incredible speed. He was halfway down the hallway in an instant, and scrambling for traction to corner when the youngest of his sisters came running out of the bathroom in nothing but towels. Rogue and Autumn took off after him, yelling, "We'll help you wash up, big brother!" although the malicious grin on Autumn's face may have indicated some kind of ulterior motive. Olivia was only a few steps behind them, shouting about getting him clean.

Back at the damaged doorway, Ciel was still laughing, clinging to the doorframe for support. "That was perfect!"

Joan stepped up beside her, a wide grin plastered across her face even as she fought to maintain her mature façade. She hitched a thumb over her shoulder as she asked. "How did you get even Amethyst in on it?"

Ciel tried to answer through her gasps for air, even as her towel started to slip a bit. "I… I didn't. I just… timed it so… she was… leaving the shower…" Amethyst stepped past the duo, having changed back and entirely unconcerned with her younger sibling's antics.

Joan allowed a chuckle to escape as she heard the chase continue outside. "So when Violet is away, Ciel will play?"

Having recovered some small amount of composure, Ciel grinned at her. "Well, sure. And hey, it gets Jaune's mind off of his hands. I'd say that's a good plan."

Suddenly a hand clamped down on the top of Ciel's head. The iron grip was unmistakable, and Ciel's face was abruptly covered in sweat as her eyes widened in terror. She didn't want to face the horror behind her, but her head was slowly turned by the inexorable pressure being applied to her skull.

Ciel found herself facing Violet, with her bag still slung over her shoulder and an absolutely radiant smile on her face. The prankster wasn't reassured in the slightest. "Ciel. We need to talk. I was hoping you could enlighten me as to what 'good plan' leads to two of our youngest siblings chasing our injured brother around the house in the nude?" Apparently Rogue and Autumn had lost their towels in the excitement. "In fact, I am sure we have MUCH to discuss, dearest sister." Violet began dragging the struggling girl towards the bench near the back of the house, where their father kept a paddle. "Let's take this discussion somewhere more private. Joan…" The blonde straightened like she was on a parade ground before the strictest drill sergeant in history. "…please collect our siblings and get them dressed. I would like to discuss some things with them about proper conduct."


	8. Truth or Dare

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Truth or Dare_

* * *

Ruby glanced around their dorm room tentatively.

Weiss sat at her desk, toiling away at her homework. Blake was on her bed reading a book, Rouge just next to her with a book of her own. Her sister was above them on her own bed, currently running a comb through her hair. Jaune sat in what had basically became his designated corner of their room, earbuds on as he listened to the radio for any news of his sisters. They were all in their pajamas and the sun had just gone below the horizon, meaning it was about time for bed.

Jaune and Rouge had been here a full week now and yet neither of them had truly bonded with their whole team. Well, her and Rouge talked quite a bit but that was because they used to know one another. Jaune only really spoke with Yang during their daily spars, although she really wasn't sure what was going on there. Yang seemed to be getting Jaune to be more open but he was still so guarded, refusing to let down his wall.

She wanted to fix that. Especially as someone that used to have so much trouble making friends herself. In fact, it had been Joan that helped her break out of her shell. It was only right that she did the same for her twin. Kind of like she was returning the favor.

"Ahem!" She cleared her throat loudly. Most of them stopped what they were doing to give her their undivided attention. Jaune was the only one that didn't hear because of his earbuds so Yang sprang off the bed and marched over to him with a teasing grin plastered across her face.

Either by sheer luck or perhaps simply because he had developed some kind of warning sense when she approached, Jaune's head whipped up to see her coming. His eyes widened and he pulled off his earbuds as he scooched further into his corner. "I'm listening! I'm listening!"

Yang gave an exaggerated snap of her fingers. "Dang! The new guy is learning...there goes my easy target." She turned back to Ruby and gave her an encouraging smile. "Well, floor is yours baby sister."

Ruby gave an appreciative nod. "Alright everyone! It's time we all got to know one another!" She spread her arms wide and looked around excitedly.

"..."

Weiss gave a small huff and went back to her homework while Blake went right back to her book. Rouge and Jaune gave awkward grins and glanced at one another for a second.

"...I know you guys didn't just ignore my cute little sister." Yang gave her knuckles an audible crack.

Everyone in the room went rigid. Weiss and Blake turned around slowly to see the devilish look in Yang's eye before giving forced grins.

"Oh I can't wait!"

"Great idea Ruby!"

Well, that was sarcasm if she had ever heard it. A year ago and she wouldn't have even noticed. Sometimes it was lame being able to pick up on social queues. Oh well, no turning back now. "I'm glad you all feel that way! Jaune and Rouge have been here a week now and have we truly gotten to know them? No! And that is unacceptable! We're supposed to be friends going on a grand adventure together! So let's bond already!"

"And how do you propose we do that?" Weiss rested her elbow on the desk and placed her cheek into the palm of her hand.

"I'm glad you asked, Weiss!" Ruby pointed at her dramatically. "We stick with the tried and true: Truth or Dare!"

"..."

Once more she was greeted with silence.

Yang cracked her knuckles again.

"Oh I can't wait!"

"Great idea Ruby!"

Her eye twitched.

"And where do you think you're going, buddy?" Ruby turned to see Jaune crawling as stealthily for the door as possible. Unfortunately for him, Yang had been right by and grabbed him by the back of the collar.

"No! Please! You don't know the horrors I've been through playing Truth or Dare as the only boy with seven sisters! Don't put me through that again!" He flailed, tears practically in his eyes.

"Oh, this I've got to hear about." Surprisingly it was Weiss that said those words and even Blake looked a little more interested now.

Good job, Jaune! Even if it was unintentional he had gotten them into it. Ruby gave him an encouraging thumbs up but he wasn't even paying attention as he tried to free himself from Yang's grip.

"Alright, Rubes. It was your idea so you go first!" Yang flung Jaune unceremoniously into the middle of the room where he landed in a heap.

"Okay!" Ruby clapped her hands together excitedly, just happy her idea was a go. "Rouge! Truth or dare?"

She spun on her friend who bashfully averted her eyes. For several seconds it didn't look like she was going to respond at all, but then she placed her book down and gave Ruby her full attention. "Umm...dare."

"Oh, brave choice!" Yang dropped down next to Jaune and sat cross-legged.

"Hmm…" Ruby tapped her chin as she tried to think of the perfect dare. She hadn't honestly expected Rouge to pick that option. She didn't want to dare her friend to do anything too crazy, but Yang would never let her live it down if she made it too subtle. "I dare you…" Her eyes darted around the room as she tried to find something. Finally, they landed on the perfect object. "...to read Blake's book aloud."

Rouge tilted her head in confusion but Blake's eyes went wide in fear as she clutched her book a little more closely to her chest.

"Come on, Blake! Give up the book!" The grin on Yang's face practically split her whole face.

"...I'm sorry." Blake reluctantly handed the book over and Rouge flipped it open to a random page. Her eyes darted across the page for several seconds before a deep blush marred her face and she looked to Ruby in betrayal.

"Go on." Yang rolled her arms encouragingly.

Rouge looked to Jaune but he could only shrug helplessly, not really understanding what kind of book was in her hands at the moment. She gave a dejected sigh and resigned herself to her fate.

"Ah...ah, D-Daichi-san, not there." Rouge's words were barely a squeak, the blush on her face getting deeper until it practically matched the color of her hair. "...She let out a breathy m-m-moan as his fingers trailed down her...I can't! I can't read anymore!" Rouge tossed the book towards Blake like it was contaminated.

Yang fell backwards and gripped her ribs as she bust out in laughter. Weiss couldn't even bring herself to look the poor girl in the eyes and Blake looked rightfully just as embarrassed. Jaune could only hide his hands behind his face, probably just dreading his own turn.

"B-Blake, truth or dare?" Rouge recovered just enough to try and quickly pass her turn. Blake looked uncertain in how to respond, not sure if Rouge was going to make her do something vindictive for what she just had to read.

She gave a resigned sigh. "Truth."

Rouge didn't even pause to think about her question. "Why do you want to help our sisters?" Ruby supposed that was a natural question from her. She was always rather suspicious of people and their motives. It likely didn't make much sense to her that people that had no connection to them would want to help.

Blake looked conflicted for several seconds about how to answer before she glanced at Jaune, seeing he looked just as curious as his sister. Her yellow eyes steeled with resolve and she lifted her hand to her head before undoing her bow.

Jaune and Rouge's eyes widened as her Faunus cat ears were exposed for them to see. "I...used to be a part of the White Fang." Blake admitted quietly. "I left when their actions became too extreme but I always regret not being able to change them from the inside. Then they became pawns in a more evil scheme."

She looked at Rouge. "You...and your sisters. You brought an end to those that were leading them down that twisted road and it's thanks to you they were guided back towards the path of seeking proper equality."

She put her bow back on. "I owe you all a debt of gratitude. If it isn't too much to ask though, could you please not tell others about my Faunus heritage?" Even to this day, she was still hesitant about revealing herself. The fact that she would choose to do that at all proved just how highly she truly thought of them.

Jaune and Rouge nodded, no more doubt in their eyes as they looked at Blake. She gave a grateful smile before scanning the room. "Weiss, truth or dare?"

Weiss gave a small snort. "As if you even have to ask. I won't be made to do some dare."

"I don't know, Blake. I'm pretty sure I heard her say dare, didn't you?"

"I think you're right."

"N-no! That's not what I was saying! I want you to ask me a truth!"

Ruby shook her head at her partner. "You said 'dare' first. As per the rules of the game you have to do whatever Blake tells you."

Weiss gave a frustrated sigh. "Fine, just get it over with."

Blake gave a victorious smirk. "I dare you to pluck a piece of Yang's hair." Weiss' face became even more pale than it already was as Yang's eyes sparked red as she glared at her.

Weiss tentatively rose from her chair and Yang got to her feet. "Just try it."

The two stared one another down for several seconds before Weiss gave a small shout, startling them all and charging straight at Yang. She tackled into the larger girl and they tumbled around as she fought valiantly to complete the dare.

"I...didn't expect her to actually try for it." Jaune mumbled from his spot on the ground. Ruby gave him a sideways grin. His surprise wasn't unwarranted.

"Weiss acts proper around everyone else. When it's just us though, she can unwind and be herself. It took a long time for her to open up this much in front of us...but it's nice. This is a side of her only we get to see. And now you're a part of that." Exactly like she wanted.

"Being part of a team." He said that as if it was something he heard once. Still, it fit what she was trying to express perfectly.

"Haha!" Weiss held a small golden lock victorious above her head as she retreated quickly away from Yang who was swinging wildly now.

"I'm going to get both of you back! Just you wait!" Yang stomped the ground and crossed her arms as she glared at the two offending girls.

"You have to wait your turn for that." Weiss sat back down in her chair and crossed her legs. "So what will it be, truth or dare?"

"Truth. Only because I know you'll make me do something with my hair again if I say the other thing." Yang went back to combing her hair, trying to get it perfect after their little kerfuffle.

"Do you like girls? Because I'm pretty sure you tried to feel me up while we were fighting."

"I'm into guys!" Yang quickly rebutted, almost throwing her hair to the side. "And what do you mean by that? You have nothing there to even 'feel up' as you put it." Blake and Rouge gave a small snort of laughter while Weiss' face tinted slightly pink.

Ruby once more checked Jaune's reaction to see him trying to make himself as small as possible, clearly not knowing what to do when put in this situation. Ruby couldn't help but wonder which was more awkward, overhearing his sisters talk about things like this, or girls his age? If she got the chance she would make that his question if he said truth.

"Alright, Vomit Boy. You're up." Jaune gave a small start as the game finally turned to him. "Truth or dare?"

"...Truth." He resigned himself to his fate but still took the easy way. Ruby didn't blame him. Yang's dares were especially harsh most times so when she asked it was smart to always just go with truth.

"Which one of us do you think is the most attractive?" Of course, sometimes there was just no winning with Yang.

Jaune's mouth flapped open and closed and his eyes darted around the room, trying not to look at them but ultimately failing. It was impossible for him to not and at least try to check them out after being asked that question so boldly and without shame.

"Come on, no one's feelings are going to get hurt if you just say it's me." Yang laughed as they waited for him to respond but his mouth still failed to make any actual noise. His eyes were still darting around but they weren't moving quite as frantically anymore...in fact, they were just going back and forth between the floor and the desk...where Weiss was sitting

Her eyes widened as she made the connection just as Yang seemed to do that same. "Good for you Weiss, someone actually appears to appreciate your tiny tits." Weiss' face went deep red as she too realized Jaune was glancing at her and he quickly began waving his hands defensively.

"N-no! I wasn't looking at your chest!" He sputtered out in panic. "It's more your petite frame and beautiful hair- No, I didn't mean that...well, I did but not like that!"

"Just...shut up." Weiss facepalmed and spun around so she didn't have to look at him. He dropped his hands and head dejectedly.

"Come on, Weiss." Ruby ran up to her and poked her in the side playfully. "He was just being sweet."

"Don't touch me." Weiss waved her off while attempting to keep her face hidden but unfortunately for her, the deep red from her blush stood out all too much thanks to her complexion. Ruby couldn't help but grin as she spun back to Jaune who was also trying to hide his face now.

"She's flattered!"

"I am not!"

She skipped over and dropped down next to him, poking him in the side the same way she had Weiss. Unlike her partner though, he let out a small snort when she did. Ruby paused and looked up at Yang who suddenly had a predatory look in her eye. "Jaune...are you ticklish?" She poked him again in the ribs.

"N-no." Jaune tried and failed not to let out a snort of laughter as he quickly scooted backwards and away from her. Too bad for him that Yang was right behind him. He bumped right into her legs and slowly tilted his head up, a look of pure horror in his eyes.

"Hold him down, Ruby!" Yang wiggled her fingers playfully.

"You got it, sis!" Ruby dove for him.

"No! Please!" Jaune jumped to his feet but fast as he was he still had a long way if he wanted to keep up with her. She tackled him to the ground and they began flailing as he fought for freedom.

"No escape, Vomit Boy!" Yang dropped down next to him and began tickling him relentlessly.

"S-stop!" He couldn't do anything but wiggle around helplessly as a loud roar of laughter escaped his mouth. A huge grin split Ruby's face as she heard the almost uncharacteristic noise. He was always sitting by himself, so quiet and serious most times. Yet somehow, this felt more like the real him than that ever did.

"Rouge...help me!" Jaune extended his arm towards the bed. Ruby glanced out of the corner of her eye to see his sister and Blake smiling warmly down at the scene.

"...He is particularly ticklish behind the knees."

"You traitor!" That was all he managed to get out before Yang took Rouge's advice and he broke into another uncontrollable fit of laughter.

After another thirty seconds they finally relented and scooted away from him. His laughs turned to gasps for breath with an occasional giggle as he curled up defensively into a ball. Only once he finally got his breathing under control did he peek around cautiously, almost preparing for the two of them to spring on him again at a moment's notice.

"It's your turn to pick someone, Jaune." Ruby leaned back and placed her hands behind her, the huge grin on her face had yet to fade. This was going far better than she could have ever hoped.

Jaune gave a small nod as he picked himself back up into a sitting position, careful not to let Yang remain directly behind him. "Okay then. Ruby...truth or dare?"

"Dare." She puffed out her chest confidently.

"Hmm…I dare you to go get us drinks from the vending machine." For once, her smile faltered.

"B-but it's after curfew...if Goodwitch catches me-"

"Get me a protein shake, Rubes."

"Green tea for me."

"I suppose I could go for a bottle of water."

Jaune gave a small smirk as the others all joined in with their demands. "Rouge and I will just split a soda."

She wanted to offer a quick rebuttal but the sight of the smile on his face caused her to stop. He was actually, genuinely smiling at her. It may have taken her a week of trying, but she felt like she had finally broken through to him even just a little. Just as a smile began to form on her own face though her sister tapped the floor impatiently. "Tick tock, baby sister. You're holding the game up."

She puffed out her cheeks as she got to her feet. "You all better not have any more fun until I get back!" In a flurry of roses she was gone and out the door.

Just as she vanished though, she heard their entire collective laughter.

Yeah, she knew this had been a good idea.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Prompt for Omake suppled by Eunoshin

* * *

 **Omake 04**

 _Neat Freak_

* * *

Olivia Arc checked herself over once again in the tall mirror located in the corner of her side of the bedroom. Everything had to be immaculate, not a single hair out of place or even the slightest crease in her clothes.

She pulled lightly at her brown skirt before fiddling with her leather vest. Not a single stain of any kind marred her pristine white shirt. She pushed her headband back up, making sure it pushed her long green hair back into place and out of her forehead, careful not to let any spare strands tumble loose. She blinked a couple times, her dark purple eyes taking it all in as a whole.

Perfect.

She could finally set out to work, doing the daily chores of the household. First, she just had to check and see who she had assigned to help her for the day. She flipped open her daily planner and scanned through it.

Today was Thursday...which meant the person supposed to help her with the chores was...Jaune.

Excellent.

She snapped the book shut and gave a small satisfied hum as she spun on her heels. As she walked out of the room, she did her utmost not to look at Ciel's side of the room. The flawless symmetrical layout of her side of the room stood in stark contrast to the abyss of clutter and junk that was Ciel's.

Toys, gadgets, uneaten food, dirty underwear, and a plethora of other mish-mashed trash scattered the entirety of it, yet not a speck of it encroached on her side. Soon, one day soon Ciel would go off to Beacon and she would have to leave her side of the room undefended...only then could she finally have free reign to clean and organize it as she pleased. She counted the days until this happened.

Until then though, she would ignore the snoring hunk of flesh that was Ciel as she slept away, bare stomach completely exposed and one leg hanging haphazardly off the bed, a long line of drool dampening her pillow.

No! Don't look at it!

Olivia scurried out of the room, unable to bear the unsanitary sight of her and her side of the room any longer.

She made her way down the hall and stood directly in front of Jaune and Joan's room. She adjusted her posture and stood completely straight before giving a polite set of three knocks exactly. "Jaune! It is your turn to assist me today."

She heard a small shuffle from the other side of the door before it swung open. Jaune was standing there, still haphazardly trying to throw his shirt on, his shorts hanging a little low allowing her a glimpse of his underwear lining. "O-okay! I'm all ready, Olivia!" He gave her a toothy grin after he finally managed to fit both arms threw the sleeves of his shirt.

"I don't think so!" Olivia scolded lightly as she flicked him on the head. "In order to properly clean the house you have to appear clean yourself! How else can you throw yourself into it?"

"Told you she would say that!" Joan called from inside the room. She only knew that though because she had been given the same speech yesterday. Seriously...these twins were ridiculous.

"Here, let me help you." Before he could protest, she grabbed the hem of his shorts and pulled them up before tucking in his orange shirt, spinning him around as she did so she could make sure it was perfectly in line the whole way through. Once done, she pulled a comb from her vest pocket and attempted to fix his unseemly mop of blonde hair. She only got so far before even she knew nothing more could be done without a proper haircut.

She was going to have to see if there was room on the schedule for that.

She then set to making sure the wraps on his arms were perfectly in line, which they were. She didn't even really ever have to check that. He was very careful about those, still the perfectionist in her demanded she check anyways. Once that was done, she bent down and fixed his socks, making sure they were pulled snugly around his toes and the tops tucked and folded in a perfect crease. Only once she was satisfied with all this did she take a step back and inspect him up and down.

"Well...the hair needs work but there isn't anything we can do about that." She relented with a small sigh.

"So we're good to go?" He gave a relieved smile, probably just glad he wasn't being flipped every which way anymore. At least he wasn't putting up a fight. That was what she liked about her younger siblings. They never argued with her about it being their turn to help. Ciel and Amethyst on the other hand...it was a nightmare getting them to ever agree. It was only with threats of getting Violet involved that they ever grudgingly agreed.

"Yeah, let's go!" Olivia gave a sharp nod as she strolled purposefully forward, opening her planner once more to see what she had scheduled for today.

Oh! Rearranging the living room furniture and cleaning under it. That sounded like fun!

* * *

Rearranging the living room furniture and cleaning under it wasn't fun. Not one bit.

At least, Jaune didn't think so.

Especially since he was the one that had to do all the moving.

"A little to the left." Olivia instructed calmly as she stood by the back of the room. She held her hands out, creating a box for her to look through.

"You already said that!" If he went any more to the left the chair would be exactly where it started.

"A little more, Jaune!" She insisted anyways. So with a grunt of exertion he pushed the chair back another couple of inches.

"Perfect!" She clapped her hands together happily.

"It's exactly where it started!" He cried in anguish as he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Everything is perfectly symmetrical where it is." That's because she was the one that moved it last week! "Besides, this way we got all the dust that used to be underneath."

"Can't you just hide it with an illusion using your sword?" She could make anyone see anything she wanted using that sword. If she desired, the house could look spotless at all times.

"Even if I hide it using an illusion, I still know it's there." Olivia planted her hands on her hips and gave him a stern glare. "Besides, it's a good feeling to do things the right way. You don't improve in martial arts by taking the easy way out, do you?"

He shook his head.

"I don't use my sword to make things fake... I use it to make the world a better place." He guess he understood. Olivia cared a lot about making sure things were clean. That included herself, them, their house, even the whole world.

He gave a small smile. It wasn't too bad helping her out with that from time to time...even when sometimes she made him do pointless stuff. And he meant really pointless. Seriously, he had just spent the past two hours moving every piece of furniture for her to dust under it for like three seconds before she made him shove it all back, inch at a time.

"Ciel! You bring me back my headphones right now!" Just as he finally came to appreciate his work, Ciel ran into the room like a storm, Amethyst hot on her tail.

They ran in circles around the room for a moment, knocking chairs over and scooting the couch and table out of proportion before vanishing almost as quickly as they appeared, undoubtedly to destroy some other section of the house next.

"..." Jaune and Olivia stood there, eyes twitching as they looked at all their hard work, undone in a matter of seconds.

"...Violet!"


	9. Unspoken Argument

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Unspoken Argument_

* * *

Jaune's eyes fluttered open as the first rays of sunlight filtered into the room and shined onto his face. That was odd...he usually woke up before this.

Then again, how late had he stayed up playing games with everyone? It must have been at least midnight before they packed it in for the night. Even though he hadn't slept as long as he usually did, he had to admit...that might have been some of the best sleep he had in a long time. What's more, Rouge hadn't even been affected by a night terror either.

Maybe there had been some benefit in just taking time to unwind and have fun? The idea hadn't really crossed his mind before. He had to save his sisters. He needed to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible. He was so hung up on that single-minded goal that he hadn't really taken the time to think of much else.

Yet it had been two weeks since they had done anything conspicuous enough to be in the news and one week since he had woken up. Where were they now and just what were they doing? He couldn't help but wonder and yet he couldn't do anything but wait and the stress of that had been mounting up exponentially...until last night. He gave a soft smile as he looked up at the bed Ruby and his sister slept in.

He had to remember to thank her. Without her...and this team, he wasn't really sure he would have been able to keep himself together for his long. Still, he couldn't allow himself to grow lax either. Taking some time to unwind was fine, but he had to keep up with his training or he wouldn't be any good once he finally did have a lead.

As quietly as he could, he slipped out of the room and went to the public bathroom to change into his usual attire of an orange shirt and blue training shorts. He doubled-checked his wraps making sure they were secure before giving a small nod. He...didn't want them coming off again.

Yang hadn't brought them back up since and she actually treated him rather normally after that initial shock. At first he thought maybe she was just pretending that they didn't bother her...but as time went on it appeared that she actually just plain didn't care. That...was a nice feeling, almost liberating. Just because one person not his sisters weren't bothered by them though didn't mean others wouldn't be.

Still, he actually was becoming comfortable with all of them. He had never formed a bond with anyone outside of his family, this was a first. He couldn't help but wonder, if he had been allowed to go to school and hang out like a normal kid, would he have formed bonds like this long ago? There really wasn't any way for him to know the answer to that. He had those bonds now...at least until he saved his sisters. What then though?

It's not like he could stay here at Beacon once he was done. This was a school that trained students to fight Grimm. He was useless against Grimm. Sure, he did okay going toe to toe with Yang, not that he ever won. His biggest problem against other people was he didn't have a finishing type move but she was helping him work on that. Even then though, he lost any advantages he had against the Grimm, creatures of pure instinct that didn't wield a weapon for him to take advantage of.

He had never been trained to use a weapon. His teachers had told him they would be distractions. He only needed to worry about how to use his glyphs. It was far too late to start now, he would be too far behind to be up to par to compete with the other students. What career choices did that leave him then? He couldn't exactly become a baker. His hands were too weak for that.

He shook the thought loose. Thoughts like this had been occurring more and more often lately. He blamed Yang for putting the idea of getting new hobbies into his head. With a tired sigh, he arrived back at RWBY's room and dropped off his pajamas before slipping quietly back out the door.

As he clicked it shut behind him, his eyes were focused on the ground, not really looking for anyone else because there was never anyone else up this early. So when a pair of white sneakers entered his line of vision he gave a small start and whipped his head upwards.

Standing just in front of him was one of the last people he expected to see so early in the morning, Weiss Schnee. What's more she looked ready to do a workout of her own, with a pair of white spandex shorts, a light-blue sleeveless shirt, as well as a white cap with the Schnee emblem printed across the cover, her hair tied in a backwards ponytail instead of to the side like normal.

She had her hands placed on her hips as she glared at him. "Don't misunderstand. I'm not going to be running with you every morning because you complimented me...although I must admit, you have refined tastes, picking me over Xiao Long." She gave her ponytail a light flick. "However, I realized during my little tussle with her last night...that she has been improving since she started sparring with you. I cannot afford to fall behind and this is an excellent chance to work on my physical endurance. I only accompany you for my own self-betterment and because no one else on the team could be bothered enough for some recreational activity during this hour."

He couldn't help it. He gave a bemused smile at her words. Somehow, the way she spoke to him reminded him exactly of how Autumn would. That was the only reason he was really able to comprehend and translate what she said, which basically boiled down to: "I'm going running with you and you're going to live with it."

"Sounds good...Weiss." He hesitated for a second before saying her name, afraid of how she would react to him calling her so casually.

She gave a small nod of appreciation though. "At least you didn't come up with some dreadful nickname for me. Let's get going, Jaune." She pulled one hand from her hip and extended it out towards him and he gratefully took it and gave as firm a shake as his hand would allow.

She made a complicated expression as she undoubtedly noticed his weak grip but didn't say anything as they turned and began to walk towards the courtyard where he started his jog every morning.

And for once, his radio sat forgotten in his pocket.

* * *

"Is that a good book?" Rouge glanced cautiously at the book Blake was reading. She wanted to know what it was, but after last night she was slightly terrified of anything the Faunus girl might be reading.

Faunus...it still surprised Rouge a little to know that Blake was one. She had never exactly talked to many as there were only a scarce amount in Domremy and it wasn't like she had been the most social girl while attending Signal. This made her first real exposure to them being when she was forced to fight the White Fang alongside her other sisters.

Yet Blake was a Faunus girl happy she had battled the White Fang, happy that the group had been beaten and reset on their once noble path. It was a strange feeling, but some good had come from her sword once, even if the last thing it had ever done had been awful beyond words. It almost made her glad she had once been a wielder of Fia Vesta. Almost.

Blake glanced at her out of the corner of her eye before placing a bookmark in it before handing it over to her. "Here, read the synopsis. If you're interested, I can let you borrow it when I'm done."

"Thank you." Rouge accepted the book and flipped it over to look at the back cover. As she did, a set of giggling on the other side of the table caught their attention and they both shot a suspicious glare at the two sisters that were sitting across from them.

"What's so amusing?" Blake asked defensively, slightly raising her breakfast tray as if she was expecting an imminent food fight. Knowing Ruby's sister it wasn't out of the question either.

Ruby was quick to wave her hands in a show of peace. "No, no. I'm just really glad everyone seems to be getting along so well now." Blake slowly relaxed at her words and Rouge couldn't help but smile. Ruby was always really sweet like that, so concerned about others.

It was that concern that made her try to connect them all together last night. Rouge really appreciated what she was trying to do for her and her brother. Still, did she have to start with such a mean dare? If anything, she wasn't sure she would be able to look her brother in the face for at least a week after having been made to do something so embarrassing.

"Speaking of getting along, look at those two." Yang wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Rouge turned to see what she was looking at. Even she couldn't stop herself from quirking an eyebrow of her own as her brother and Weiss walked towards the two of them, covered in sweat and their clothes slightly disheveled.

"Don't put words to any of what you're thinking!" Weiss snapped as she plopped down next to them, pulling off her white cap. "We went on a jog and he sets a fairly brutal pace. That is all."

"I offered to slow down." Jaune rubbed Rouge's hair as he took a spot next to her and she smiled warmly at the affection.

"I will not be looked down on by you! If you can manage such a pace then so can I!" Weiss snatched an apple off Ruby's tray and took a bite from it.

Jaune rolled his eyes and gave a mock salute. "Yes ma'am."

Rouge and Ruby immediately began to giggle as Weiss sent him a cold glare. Meanwhile, Blake and Yang shared a bemused look.

"We should all have a group race some time and see who the fastest is!" Ruby puffed out her chest with pride, likely happy with herself for having come up with yet another brilliant team bonding idea.

"Sure, but no Semblances allowed." Blake flicked an accusing finger at Ruby.

The young leader gasped in mock horror. "Why...I would never- you're not being serious, right? We can use our Semblances?"

"No way!" Her three teammates immediately rebuffed her and she put in her head down and puffed out her cheeks in a pout.

A chortle escaped her brother's mouth and a moment later she giggled along with him. As if they found one another's amusement funny they both broke out into full-on laughter. All of RWBY quickly joined in with them and they became the loudest table in the cafeteria.

Even after their laughter died out, Rouge's smile remained bright and plastered across her face. She watched as Jaune continued to talk to the members of team RWBY, a small smile of his own continued to linger.

This moment was only a shadow of what they used to have with their sisters, yet she couldn't help but hope that it was simply a small taste of what they would have again when they managed to reunite them all.

* * *

Pyrrha slowly ambled from her first class towards her second, yet her heart wasn't really in it.

She was falling behind in her studies, barely able to focus in class let alone focus on her homework. Most times she couldn't even get herself to go to sleep, instead being able to do nothing more than toss and turn as she thought about Joan and what happened to her. And if she had been there, could she have stopped all this from happening. The worst part was, Joan had offered her the chance to come. She should have been by her side that day as her partner and her best friend. Instead, Pyrrha had selfishly declined in order to return home to Mistral to see her own family. If she had only known something like this would happen…

Pyrrha didn't ask for much in life. She had been blessed from the beginning with incredible talent and countless opportunities. Yet her fame and fortune had in the end brought her loneliness as she was isolated from everyone. People only sought to place her on a pedestal and no one even tried to understand the way she felt, looking to her only as a goddess without imperfections and not able to see the longing in her heart. Not able to realize the only thing she really, truly wanted was a friend.

Then came the day that she met Joan, a girl that didn't have even the slightest idea of who she was, only recognizing her as the mascot of that unhealthy cereal she seemed so fond of. Finally, Pyrrha had found someone that didn't seek to idolize her. As luck and through a will of their own would have it the two of them became partners and formed a fast friendship. Over the next year, Pyrrha truly found happiness in the one thing she had been missing all this time. Only to now have it stolen away from her while she was in another land.

She would have done anything to get Joan back in that moment. She went as far as to break past the blockade into Domremy and attempt to find any sign or trace of her best friend. Perhaps she had left something behind specifically for her? In the end she only came up empty handed. Then a week later she received promising news...Joan's brother was awake. And he supposedly had a way to bring Joan back safe and sound. Pyrrha's hopes soared...only to be brought crashing brutally down by reality.

Jaune's arrival hardly brought the promises she had hoped for. He barely had a solution, let alone a way to actually even find his sisters. He didn't have any intention of trying to reason with Joan at all. The only thing he sought was to battle her and break her weapon. He sought to destroy Joan's future because he claimed "it was the only thing he could do". That...just wasn't right. Did he have any idea what would happen to his sister if he destroyed her sword? If Joan lost Crocea Mors could she even continue her path as a Huntress? She had been trained her whole life to use that sword and relied heavily upon its abilities. She would have to start from scratch without it.

Even if his method was the only surefire method to bring Joan back to him, that didn't mean she would be able to return to Pyrrha's side as her partner and leader. That was something Pyrrha couldn't accept. She wanted her friend to stand by her side. If she could just be allowed to reason with her...Pyrrha was confident she could bring Joan back. They were best friends, if anyone had a chance to get through to her than it was without a doubt herself.

It's not like she would leave their other sisters to the clutches of the swords. Pyrrha and Joan were unstoppable when they fought side by side. Not even the upperclassmen stood a chance against the two of them when paired together. If she could bring Joan back along with her weapon they could easily rescue the others as well. Of that Pyrrha was confident. She had for a long time cursed her fame and abilities...often wishing she didn't have them. Yet now she knew that all her talents and skills had been honed for exactly this, to protect the people close to her that she loved and cared about. It had just taken becoming friends with Joan to gain something like that.

"Ah." A startled gasp kicked her out of her thoughts and Pyrrha realized she had at some point in her musings stopped walking to her next class altogether and was just standing completely still in the middle of the hallway. She was almost entirely alone now as classes had surely started while she lost track of time.

Almost, because there was one other person standing directly in front of her. Jaune Arc was looking at her like a deer caught in the headlights, clearly just as surprised to find her out here as she currently felt. He undoubtedly thought she would have been in class like she was supposed to be and might even be wondering if this was a coincidence or if she had been waiting for him.

Part of her wanted to talk to him, try again to reason with him and get him to understand where she was coming from. She was never very good at talking with others though as most people just agreed with whatever she said with. But still, she wanted to convince him to see things her way, even if just a little. At the same time she couldn't hide the fact that she was incredibly frustrated with him right now. Not because he wanted to do things differently, but because he didn't even try to broach the subject with them after that time in the library, going so far as to avoid them so they wouldn't have another standoff. He was supposed to stay in JNPR's room but instead had taken to staying with RWBY.

Perhaps the thing that made Pyrrha the most mad though...was what she had seen this morning in the cafeteria. He was laughing and talking along with RWBY like he didn't have a care in the world. It was almost like he had forgotten his sisters were wanted criminals with a bounty on their head. Sisters he was supposed to be out looking for ways to save. Yet he was treating his stay here like he was at some kind of resort and trying to make friends instead of focusing on what should have been most important.

She grit her hands together. Maybe she was just overthinking this? If she would only talk to him maybe they would be able to come to some kind of agreement. She wouldn't know unless she tried. She looked back at him with a resolute gleam in her eyes and did her best to give him a disarming smile. Maybe if he thought she was trying to be friendly he would finally be willing to open up to her?

Her idea had the opposite effect as Jaune's eyes widened in terror. He quickly began walking forward and right up to her, his shoulders tense and his pace rigid. She thought for a second he was going to throw a punch at her and unconsciously reached for Milo only to remember it was in her locker. Instead he walked right past her and she could only stare forward in shock at where he had just been.

No words had passed between them.

She grit her teeth in irritation. Fine! If he wanted to be that way...then she would just save Joan herself. She had Ren and Nora's support, not to mention all of CRDL. She didn't need him to back her up anyways.

She started walking once more as well but didn't even bother going to class and started heading right for the lockers to get her gear. Right now she just really wanted to break something.

* * *

Jaune let out a disappointed sigh as he plopped down on a bench in Beacon's courtyard.

That hadn't gone how he wanted it to. Running into Pyrrha had been a surprise and a complete accident. Even so, he had been thinking lately that maybe it would be a good thing if he tried to talk to her again. Maybe if they could just reason with one another they could even come to a compromise of some sort. That was his golden opportunity just now too.

Yet when she gave him that crooked smile and that fierce glare he thought she was ready to fight rather than talk to him. It had made him so nervous the only thing he could do was run away from her again. In the end his nerves just weren't strong enough to properly deal with other people yet. He could handle RWBY but only because of all the time he was forced to spend with them.

It was no wonder Pyrrha was angry with him. To her it probably looked like he wasn't taking this very seriously. She also often saw him getting tossed around by Yang in the practice arenas which likely didn't instill much confidence in his fighting abilities either. Despite all that though, he did want Pyrrha on his side. She was Joan's best friend after all. One would think he should be able to get along with someone his twin was capable of calling bestie. He just didn't know how.

"You look troubled, Mr Arc." He gave a small yelp and lifted his head to see Glynda Goodwitch had taken a stance in front of him. How she snuck up on him while wearing heels he would never know.

"It-It's nothing…" He lied quickly and averted his eyes back to the ground in between their feet. He had only spoken with this woman briefly but her demeanor alone was enough to frighten him. The way RWBY always talked about her did little to alleviate those fears.

Glynda gave a tired sigh and adjusted her stance, causing her heels to click against the pavement. "My job as a Professor is to help my students where I can." Well, he wasn't exactly a student. "I know you haven't been here long and you may not attend classes but I still consider you under my charge. If you ever need someone to come to for advice...my door is always open."

With that she turned and began to walk away.

"..." He stared at the ground for another couple seconds as he mulled her words over. That had seemed so much different than the strict women he had imagined her to be. Yet somehow when he combined those images together it made someone he felt like he could rely on. "...Wait!" He called as he jumped to his feet.

Glynda stopped and turned towards him. "Think of something?" She smiled coyly as she placed a hand on her hip and adjusted her glasses.

Without even intending to he spilled all his concerns about Pyrrha to her. He told her about how he just wanted to get along with his twin's partner. How he was too afraid to even talk to her though. About their first conversation and then the meeting they just had in the hallway a couple minutes ago.

"Hmm...I see." Glynda rubbed her chin as she nodded along to everything Jaune had said. "It sounds to me like she might want to open up to you as well."

"Y-you think so?" Jaune perked up optimistically. Everything would be so much easier if that was the case. The problem was, he wanted to be sure before he just charged in. If she in fact didn't want to talk to him then he would just get dragged into another pointless argument.

"I have an idea." Glynda snapped her fingers and pointed one index finger skywards. At this point he was willing to try anything so he nodded for her to continue. "Tomorrow, I want you to report for combat class with team RWBY. I'll explain the rest then."

"Okay…" He agreed with a small tilt of his head.

Somehow, he was starting to have a bad feeling about this.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Prompt for Omake supplied by greyshinobi1

* * *

 **Omake 05**

 _Vytal Festival Dance_

* * *

"Wait, Violet! I don't wanna dance in front of all these people!" A ten year old Jaune tried desperately to break free from his eldest sister as she dragged him through a crowd of other dancers.

He didn't even really understand why he was here at Beacon to begin with. His sister had been here a little over a semester now and apparently this was their big annual dance they had to commemorate the Vytal Festival. Which was great and all, but wasn't this an event meant for the students of Beacon? He wasn't one and if their dad had his way, would never be a student at this Academy. He didn't belong here.

"Sorry, Jaune." Violet didn't sound sorry at all as she turned around and winked playfully at him. "I had to put in some major favors to get Goodwitch to allow you in. It would be a waste for you to have come all this way and then not at least dance with me."

Finally she found a spot where the two of them could dance without bumping into others, or in his case get trampled on. She let go of his hand and gave him a glowing smile as she twirled in a circle, her white dress floating outwards as she did. He couldn't help but to stop and stare at her as she began to dance.

This girl...she hardly seemed like the Violet he remembered. She was always so stern and strict around them all. Yet right now she appeared loose and free. Her ponytail swung from side to side and her orange eyes looked down at him, imploring him to dance with her.

When even she was like this, he couldn't help but relax a little himself. It was still disconcerting, being surrounded by all the older teens, but as long as he was with his sister, he knew he would be safe. He reached his hand up and adjusted the bowtie around his neck before he began to dance in perfect rhythm with her, making her smile grow bigger and even more radiant.

As the two of them danced, he couldn't help but notice several of the other male students kept glancing over at her, watching her swing in rhythm to the music, a couple of them even got caught staring by their dates and were quickly reprimanded. At one point he caught sight of the Headmaster, Ozpin, as he paced around the room, mug in one hand and cane in the other, taking in all the students as they enjoyed the night behind his darkened spectacles. After some time, the music slowed down and the two of them stood close to one another. She hunched over as she grabbed his back so they could step back and forth to the music.

"I...don't get along too well with the other students here." Violet finally admitted, now that they were close enough for her to speak quietly. "Honestly, it might just be an Arc thing. It doesn't seem like any of us are very sociable."

"Wouldn't this have been a good chance to dance with the other guys though?" He didn't understand. This was a perfect opportunity for her to get along with others. She didn't have to bring him out here just so she would have someone to dance with.

Violet gave a small smile. "I wasn't really interested in dancing with any of them. Despite being Hunters-in-training, none of them show any backbone. Seriously, just having you with me is enough to scare them all off. Isn't that kind of pathetic?"

"Are you looking for a guy with confidence?" As those words left his mouth he couldn't help but straighten out a little unintentionally and his eyes once more darted around the room, looking for anyone still checking out his sister.

"That's right." Violet nodded and let out a small chuckle. "So just be the most confident guy in this room tonight and I promise you I'll never leave your side." He nodded enthusiastically. He wouldn't know what to do surrounded by all these strangers if Violet abandoned him.

"I missed you." Her grip on his back tightened a little and he looked back up to and directly into her eyes. Right now, even though she was looking right at him it felt like she was looking far away. "I miss all of you, although I'm sure our sisters are happy their taskmaster of a sister is finally away."

"N-no! They barely know what to do without you around giving them orders." Jaune did his best to rebut her fears and she smiled down at him in appreciation.

"Thanks, Jaune. I'm really glad you agreed to come out here just for my selfish request." She rubbed his hair affectionately.

"I would do anything for you, Violet." He responded without even really thinking.

It wasn't a lie though. He would do anything for all his sisters.

"I know you would, Jaune. I know." Her grip on his back loosened in content, although he doubted she was even aware of it herself. He smiled encouragingly up at her and she returned that smile back to him.

He was glad he got to see his sister again, even though it was only for tonight and tomorrow morning. He would make the most of that time though.

The song came to an end and was replaced once more by another more upbeat track. Flashes of different colored lights tinted the room. Jaune skipped back and once more began dancing in rhythm to the music.

Violet's smile grew bigger as she did the same and the two of them got lost in the movement of their dance.


	10. Jaune vs Pyrrha

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi (Posted a new story called Spoon Equality today and if you're interested in Pyrrha/Ruby fluff, that's for you.)

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Jaune vs Pyrrha_

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch adjusted her glasses once again as she watched all of the students file in and take their seats in the surrounding bleachers.

She would never admit it to anyone, but she was rather curious on whether Jaune Arc would heed her advice and report to class with those of team RWBY. She truly hoped he would. That boy had a lot already riding on his shoulders and the last thing he needed was petty drama caused by nothing more than a lack of communication.

Still, it was sometimes hard to get teenagers to be open with one another. Which was why she went through the trouble of even setting this up in the first place, going as far as to add Jaune into the system. Something which was highly irregular for someone that wasn't attending their prestigious academy.

Glynda had been at Beacon for some time now. Long enough that she had the honor of seeing four of the Arc sisters through from their first day up until their graduation. She had grown rather fond of the socially awkward family and knew that even though they might not have been the strongest of conversationalists, they were all caring, hard-working girls.

What's more, they were people that would never harm a soul if it wasn't in order to protect something precious to them. She just knew that the Arc sisters had to be innocent and couldn't stand that the governments of the world couldn't look at the facts staring them in the face. When Ozpin had called her and said he had a lead that would possibly allow them to exonerate the sisters... well, she hadn't exactly expected to get Jaune.

Yet here he was. And while she wouldn't be able to personally help him free his sisters, she would be here to help guide him as if he was a student and make sure he stayed on the path he believed to be true. Even after just one awkward conversation she knew, he exemplified all the traits she had seen in his sisters. From the eldest to the youngest, they were good people.

Maybe she was overstepping her bounds a little? It wasn't right for a teacher to show favoritism to certain students. Just in this instance, she supposed it was alright to make an exception.

Finally, team RWBY walked in and to Glynda's relief, Jaune and his sister, Rouge, were right behind them. The two siblings paused to take in the sight of Beacon's main combat ring. This was different than the place Jaune and Yang often sparred in and the stage was much more grand in scale. She couldn't help but smirk at the expressions of awe on their faces before they raced to keep up with RWBY.

Predictably, the six of them sat nowhere near what was left of JNPR. The two teams had quit getting along recently since right around the time Jaune had been admitted to stay on campus. Something Glynda was sure wasn't a mere coincidence. It was a little disheartening to see the two once near-inseparable teams at such odds with one another but it wasn't unusual either. Teams sometimes had disagreements. The important thing was how they handled it from here.

If this played out the way Glynda hoped it would, then maybe not only would Jaune and Pyrrha understand one another a little more, but it might work at repairing the rift that had formed between the rest of them as well.

The bell rang, signaling the start of class and Glynda wasted no time in clearing her throat to command the instant attention of the otherwise unruly students. Some of them peeked over at Jaune and Rouge from time to time curiously, but none of them dared speak so long as she wasn't busy monitoring a match.

"Alright students!" Glynda tapped at her scroll as she strolled forward, every click of her heels echoing across the quiet room. "In this class we try to emulate official tournament style duals. This means your Aura is displayed on a screen and if it falls below a certain point, the official, myself in this case, can call that match." A majority of the students made confused looks as she explained something that they already knew.

Some of them appeared to catch on quick that she was doing it for the sake of their two newest occupants, one of which was beginning to get a sinking realization of what was going to happen to him. He tried to get up but Yang had grabbed him by the shoulder and set him back down.

"The first match of the day is going to be a little unorthodox as I've requested the participation of someone not a student. Can I please have Jaune Arc report to the stage?" She tapped her scroll and Jaune's image displayed on the screen behind her and to the right.

At first he didn't budge. All eyes turned to him, waiting for him to make some kind of movement. Yet for several moments nothing happened. Finally, Yang kicked him in the shin and he leapt to his feet with a small cry of pain. It was then that he became acutely aware of everyone's piercing gaze and began to scurry his way up to the front and by Glynda's side.

"What are you doing?" He hissed under his breath as he stopped just next to her.

"Helping." Glynda responded neutrally. In truth, she was secretly enjoying his reaction along with the rest of the class which had broken into a low hum. It wasn't very often she was the one throwing people for a loop and it felt good to break the mold from time to time.

"You can't seriously mean to have me fight-"

"His opponent will be Pyrrha Nikos." She tapped her scroll and Pyrrha's image appeared behind them and to the left.

What was once a dull roar from the crowd turning into an eruption. It really wasn't much of a surprise. Pyrrha was regarded as the strongest second-year student. Jaune was the unheard of brother of the Seven Arc Sisters. Pyrrha barely appeared phased at all as she merely rose from her seat and began to stroll over with the same neutral expression she always had when called into the ring.

"You know this wasn't what I had in mind when I asked for your help." Jaune deflated further with every step Pyrrha took towards them. "She's going to thrash me. She's some kind of champion of the what-cha-ma-call-it."

"The Mistral Regional Championship-"

"Yeah, that thing."

Glynda's eye twitched.

"It's not about winning or losing, Mister Arc. It's about learning to communicate."

"Communicate by beating the crap out of each other?"

"There are many forms of communication. You may find that by communicating with Miss Nikos here in the ring that it'll become easier to communicate with her outside of it as well."

"...If you say so." He sounded skeptical at best. Either way, Pyrrha had arrived on the stage now and there would be no running for either of them. The time had come for them to face one another head on and finally work out their differences.

Pyrrha and Jaune turned to look at one another, only Glynda standing in between them. Yet the two of them said nothing.

"The two of you can begin when you're ready." Glynda stepped back and away from them in order to give them their space. It wasn't the traditional way in which to start a fight but there was already enough tension between them. She didn't need to add anymore to it. Besides, she had already gone so far to arrange this meeting.

Everything else was on them.

"..." Jaune clenched and unclenched his hands, gaze darting between Pyrrha's eyes and the weapon on her back. Both of their mouths were clamped shut and their lips tucked into thin lines. Neither tried to talk and even the students in the seats had quieted down as they waited to see who would make the first move.

The tension continued to mount. Eventually, it became too thick for even the Mistral Champion.

Her elbow twitched and she reached for Milo. That small movement was all it took for Jaune's body to automatically react.

He kicked off the ground with such force that even to Glynda's trained vision he turned into a blur. Most of the first year students likely hadn't been able to even see him move. Pyrrha's green eyes widened the smallest fraction. While there was no way she could see him coming, training senses clicked in and instead of continuing to reach for her weapon she guarded.

With a loud crack, Jaune's fist clashed with the metal band on her forearm. Pyrrha skid back a fraction of an inch but otherwise held her ground. The two of them stood there. Jaune pushed on her forearm with his fist and she pushed back, neither willing to give another inch of ground.

The sudden way in which the match had begun honestly surprised Glynda. It was like a switch had been thrown in Jaune's head. While they had been talking he was nervous and jittery, eyes darting in every direction and limbs twitching randomly. Now he was focused, his lip tucked in a thin line and body perfectly poised for combat. It took strict training to cause that kind of transformation, especially one that happened so quickly.

Pyrrha had appeared equally surprised but now she had recovered and was treating this as every other fight. Jaune grit his teeth and one eye squinted in pain as his arm spasmed. Undoubtedly the scars on his hands couldn't take prolonged stress like their current stand-off. Pyrrha noticed this too and reached for Milo.

Jaune didn't give her the chance and clamped down on her forearm before yanking forward. Pyrrha, who had been pushing with all her might hadn't been prepared for the sudden shift in momentum and stumbled up to him without resistance.

His opposite foot was already swinging upwards in a chamber kick aimed right for her chin. Before he got close, Pyrrha's body bent and rolled out of the way in what should have been an impossible feat. However, by manipulating the metal on her body with her mind, Pyrrha was able to pull it off with practiced ease. The hand gripping her forearm didn't have nearly a firm enough hold and she slipped away from him.

He didn't react quickly enough to pursue right away which finally gave the champion an opportunity to draw Milo. Already in the perfect position, she switched the weapon to its rifle mode, aimed, and pulled the trigger. All of this happened in one fluid motion.

The rifle fired and the bullet left the barrel with a loud bang just as Jaune's other foot touched the ground. The bullet looked like it would meet its mark but with almost inhuman reflexes, Jaune leaned just enough to allow it to fly past. The moment it did and he was gone, pushing Aura into his feet to enhance his speed.

To Pyrrha it must have appeared like he vanished but she didn't react in shock to his speed this time. Milo transformed into a javelin and she swung it overhead and behind. Jaune appeared in the exact spot she was swinging, his leg halfway through a spinning kick. His shin met with the edge of Pyrrha's weapon. Jaune's Aura took a dip but no flesh was pierced from the impact.

Most people recoiled when their Aura took such a direct and blunt attack. That's because most Hunters were taught to fight with a weapon. To Jaune, his whole body was a weapon and that meant taking the full impact of an attack with nothing to protect him but Aura was sometimes a necessity. So instead of shirking back from the blow, he pushed on and knocked Milo out of the way.

For perhaps the first time in her life, Pyrrha was left unguarded. Jaune's body twisted full circle and as he continued his rotation he lashed out at her with an elbow. She raised her hand to divert his attack to the side. It was a common tactic for her to use because every opponent she ever fought up until now wore metal at least somewhere on their body.

Jaune didn't have a trace of metal on him, not even a belt buckle let alone armor or a weapon. There was absolutely nothing for her to manipulate and that wasn't something Pyrrha had ever come up against.

And so for the first time someone broke through Pyrrha's defenses as Jaune's elbow jarred her in the shoulder. Her Aura flashed and took a hit, placing the two of them on almost the same field. Glynda raised an eyebrow at the impressive amount of damage. His elbow alone had caused as much damage to Aura as Milo. Of course, he had been building up quite a bit of momentum alone with the centripetal force of his spin.

Pyrrha took a step back and gripped the shoulder that had been speared with her free hand. Even though Aura had protected her it had undoubtedly been a painful jab. That was something Pyrrha wasn't used to experiencing in a fight. Pain for her was more often experienced through a sprain or bruise when she overexerted herself in personal endurance training. For someone else to inflict injury upon her was almost surely a foreign concept.

Even despite this, Pyrrha was a champion and she had become one by reacting well under pressure, especially in the face of unexpected circumstances. So when Jaune pressed the advantage he created she didn't retreat. His foot came down over her head, and she bent forward using the shield, Akouo, on her back to defend. The tip of his heel struck and it rung out like a bell.

Pyrrha knocked his upraised foot away and charged forward with her head still bent over, tackling into his gut. "Oomph!" He gave a small grunt of pain before crashing onto the floor and skidding to a halt. Pyrrha slipped Akouo off her back and into her other arm, charging at his still prone form.

She spun Milo around so the tip was facing downwards and jabbed at him. As she thrust Milo down, Jaune was already on the move. He rolled just a fraction to the left, the tip of the spear striking ground. Sparks flew as Pyrrha's arm locked up from the unexpectedly hard stop.

He lashed out at her ankle and swept her right foot out from under her. She collapsed down to one knee. He was already spinning his body and flipped himself over, bringing both legs high. Pyrrha's head was caught between his thighs and he twirled around again, flipping her with him and sending the two of them onto their backs, his legs now holding her in a headlock.

Pyrrha flailed Milo and Akouo but wasn't able to land a clean hit in the position Jaune held her in. She gasped desperately for breath and her legs kicked and pushed in an attempt to lift herself back up. Jaune grunted in exertion as he struggled to keep her down. Despite the fact that Pyrrha was superior in strength and stamina, a headlock wasn't something she had ever been trained to escape from.

She may have fought in tournaments and against other students, but the primary purpose had always been training them to fight Grimm. This wasn't the case with Jaune, who was trained to fight against other humans. This difference in specialization showed now that he had caught her in a technique specifically created to disable another person. This would have been pointless against a Beowulf and Jaune would be quickly turned into food for the creature if he were to try this.

Pyrrha's breath grew short and struggles weaker as her eyes started to wave in and out of consciousness. In a last ditch effort, she whipped Akouo high into the air above them. It stopped and hung suspended before it began to spin like a saw under the influence of her Semblance.

Jaune's eyes widened in fear as he realized what was about to happen. Akouo flew back down towards him and he was left with no choice but to release Pyrrha's head and roll to safety. Akouo sawed into the ground until it only stuck out halfway. Even with his Aura there was a strong possibility that would have split him in half. At the very least it would have knocked him into the red and Glynda would have been forced to call the match.

He struggled to his feet as Pyrrha rolled to her knees, giving a ragged series of coughs. Milo had transformed back into a rifle and she was pointing it at Jaune with one hand. She didn't pull the trigger while pushing herself up with the other hand. Her aim wasn't focused right now and if she missed Jaune would be free to charge at her.

In the same vein, Jaune didn't press after her as his legs still appeared to be recovering from having to hold her in that headlock. If he ran in carelessly he increased the chance she would successfully shoot him.

Pyrrha finally got to her feet and her breathing started to calm just as the shivering of Jaune's legs began to subside. The barrel of Milo was still pointed at him and he was tensed to spring forward at any second. Neither of them were willing to make the first move, afraid that it would trigger the counter-attack that would end the fight.

"You're...not bad." Pyrrha admitted as her other hand reached forward and stabilized Milo.

"Heh." Jaune gave a small snort. "Thanks, I guess I'll take that as a compliment coming from you."

"...I understand now why Professor Goodwitch called me up here to fight with you." Pyrrha glanced at her out of the corner of one emerald eye. Glynda simply shrugged and gave her a knowing smile in return. Pyrrha returned her gaze back to Jaune. "I underestimated you. I thought because of your demeanor and the fact that you couldn't beat Yang in a fight meant I couldn't rely on you."

Jaune's clenched hands loosened slightly.

"...You're not entirely at fault for that. I wasn't strong enough to save my sisters. That's why I'm here. That's why I want your help. Especially you, who was Joan's best friend."

"It's not like I don't want to save all of your sisters." Pyrrha shook her head sadly. "All of you are important to Joan, after all. However, I can't justify breaking Crocea Mors. She... needs that shield and sword. If you break it, how is she supposed to help free the rest of her sisters? If you break it you're merely reducing her to the sidelines like what you've done to Rouge. Do you think she's happy being stuck here not able to help in any way?"

"You're a good person, Pyrrha." Jaune admitted with a small sigh. "In fact, you might be a better person than I am. Breaking the swords is the only thing I know how to do. I don't even know if talking it out with them will work. Maybe it will? The truth is, I'm not even really sure I know my sisters anymore. Over the past few years they've all drifted away from me. They've become heroines respected by the whole world while I was just stuck at home, listening to a radio in a small effort to feel closer to them."

"Then you should know more than anyone how it feels to be sidelined!"

"However, right now they need me. Those swords are evil. Even if Joan can be brought back without breaking the sword, what makes you think she's going to want to continue using it after all the things it has done?"

"We can ask her that after we free her! If... if she doesn't want to use it any more than you can break it! But it should be her choice! You can't make that choice for her!"

"I'm her brother! If that choice is the best way to save her then I'll make it whether that's what she wants or not! What makes you think I even want her going after our other sisters? Do you have any idea how heartbreaking it is to have to fight your family as they try to kill you?! There's no way I'll put Joan through that! I want her safe! That's my one and only priority! I can't worry about if that's what they want or not!"

Their conversation that had started at just above a whisper had escalated into a shouting match. After Jaune's latest outburst though, the overflowing emotions surging through Pyrrha appeared to simmer down and her expression returned to one of neutrality.

"I see. Well, you may be her brother but I am her partner. My feelings for Joan are not so one-sided or incomplete that I only want to protect one part of her. I want to save all of her. That includes her future, which is what you will destroy if you continue on your path."

"I guess we've said everything we can to one another then." Jaune prepared himself once more for combat.

"I guess so." Pyrrha pulled the trigger.

Milo fired and Jaune easily dodged by twisting his body to the side. The bullet grazed past his hair and not a moment later he closed the distance between them. Akouo, which was still wedged into the ground, flew up and clung to Pyrrha's metallic bracer and blocked the fist that flew at her.

In the same motion, Milo mecha-shifted into a sword and she jabbed at him. Jaune spun sideways and stuck his elbows behind him. As Milo stabbed in between his arms and back he pulled in, locking the weapon to him before twisting hard and wrenching it from Pyrrha's grip.

With a spin, he stepped back from Pyrrha and tossed it across the ring where it clattered to the ground. She raised her hand to call it back with the power of her Semblance but he instantly pressed the attack, battering Akouo and skidding her back several inches.

Pyrrha turned her focus back on him as he leapt in the air and spun at her with another high-powered kick. She ducked just beneath it and he landed behind her. For just a brief moment they stood back to back. Pyrrha was quicker to spin around and as she swung Akouo the sharp-side of the shield cut into his back and ripped his shirt. It failed to pierce flesh but his Aura fell into the yellow.

He grit his teeth but didn't fall forward. Instead, he spun around and lashed out at her with a strong backhand.

She bent back and his fist just grazed the edge of her chin. She twisted her body unnaturally again with the aid of her Semblance and her knee drilled into his ribs.

Just as her feet touched the ground, he switched out in an unexpected roundhouse kick that caught the edge of Akouo and flipped it off her bracer. He caught and whipped it across the stadium like a discus, completely disarming her.

Pyrrha raised her forearms to guard but Jaune's fists easily flew between them and struck her in the shoulder and the ribs. Pyrrha was no amateur in hand-to-hand combat but compared to Jaune she was just under-trained. Without her weapon or shield, she didn't really hope to stand a chance against him.

She knew this and Jaune knew this.

So the moment she raised her hand to call both her weapon and shield over, he was prepared.

Every time her Semblance activated, Pyrrha's eyes flickered for a brief moment to the object, or in this case, objects she was manipulating. It wasn't something many noticed. Glynda did but she had years of practical fighting experience. Apparently, Jaune had noticed too.

The moment Pyrrha's eyes flickered, her head jarred harshly to the side and she stumbled. It happened so fast Glynda didn't even realize what had transpired right away. As she replayed the scene in her mind, it became clear.

Jaune usually attacked with a series of punches and kicks, constantly fluctuating between the two in a manner that made him somewhat unpredictable. From the moment he had disarmed Pyrrha though, he had resorted to only jabbing at her with his fists.

Glynda hadn't noticed this at first because he was holding the upper hand regardless. What didn't add up under scrutiny, was that Jaune's hands were maimed and weak. If he was going to attack with one or the other it would make more sense for him to use his feet. Instead, they had remained firmly planted on the ground.

This was because he had been waiting. Waiting for Pyrrha to use her Semblance.

The moment she activated it. He pushed all of his Aura into the sole of his right foot. The result of such an action essentially created a large amount of tension between his foot and the floor. By applying pressure to that tension, his foot had been violently ejected upwards at speeds no human was capable of reaching on their own and he lashed out at Pyrrha's head in a powerful kick that she couldn't block or dodge because she hadn't even seen it coming.

Milo and Akouo flew through the air for a couple feet before collapsing to the ground. They then lifted into the air again before wobbling in place and clattering right in the same spot. Pyrrha held the side of her head in pain and horror as her eyes stared at the ground in an unfocused haze.

"W-what did you do to me?" The poor girl probably still wasn't even aware she had been kicked.

He hit her right at the moment she activated her Semblance, the moment her concentration was most focused on her ability. By shattering that concentration in such a jarring manner he had effectively temporarily disabled her Semblance altogether.

Pyrrha Nikos could not use her polarity.

Glynda had heard of people trained specifically to find ways around another's Semblance but she had never seen someone so young capable of accomplishing such a feat. Pyrrha's Semblance had been thought of as indomitable up until now. Yet in just one match he had found a way around it and showed a whole room full of aspiring Huntsmen that even the strongest among them had chinks in their armor. This was truly beyond her expectations for this match.

Jaune closed the distance between himself and Pyrrha with a simple gait and swung at her with a straight jab. He must have thought that in her dazed state she wouldn't be capable of retaliation. Even if she couldn't manipulate metal, Pyrrha could still fight and managed to catch his punch.

In an unprecedented move for the champion she swung her head forward, bashing Jaune in the nose. His Aura flickered and just barely hung in the yellow. One more hit like that and he would fall into the red.

Pyrrha pulled back and prepared to do it again. She never got the chance as Jaune's knee drilled into her solar plexus and sent her flying several feet through the air. She kicked off the moment her feet hit the ground, charging back at him.

The difference at this point should have been clear. Jaune was trained for hand-to-hand combat and Pyrrha wasn't. However, Jaune had barely inflicted any damage on Pyrrha's Aura and she was still well in the green. Meanwhile, his Aura was barely hanging onto the yellow. Even if it was only one hit, Pyrrha could still possibly win.

Jaune had to find a way to disable her fast or he could lose the one advantage he had. Milo and Akouo were already started to twitch and clatter due to Pyrrha's returning Semblance.

This next strike or lack of one could determine the match.

Jaune charged to meet her head on.

Pyrrha swung her fist right at his face.

He ducked to the side and it flew past him.

Milo mecha-shifted back into a gun and fired as a final act of resistance.

As they raced past one another he raised his bicep up and caught her neck in a lariat.

With the combined force of their opposite running speeds, Pyrrha's body flipped through the air.

The bullet flew over Pyrrha's tumbling body and nicked Jaune in the shoulder, dropping his Aura into the red.

Pyrrha's Aura had dropped to the yellow but it was still more than enough for her to be considered able to fight.

This was her win...

...at least it should have been.

Her body hit the floor face first where it then didn't even so much as twitch.

Jaune Arc had just knocked the invincible Pyrrha Nikos unconscious.

The crowd around them erupted into what was perhaps the loudest cheer Glynda had ever heard from her students. It was rare that they got so into a match, but this one had certainly been unlike anything even she had ever witnessed. Never had one been so close. Jaune's Aura had fallen into the red just a split second before Pyrrha's body had hit the ground. However, it went without saying that she could no longer fight.

"This match…"

In a real tournament, this would be Jaune's loss. In the real world, this would have been Pyrrha's loss. However, this was neither. It was an argument in which both sides had failed to get the other to see their own. So there was only one call she could make.

"...is a draw."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Prompt for the Omake was supplied by the guest reviewer "insert name"

* * *

 **Omake 06**

 _Sibling_ _Squabble_

* * *

"Ciel! Give me my Gameboy back right now!" As usual, the peace and serenity of their house was quickly thrust into chaos so shortly after breakfast. It was just impossible for it to remain quiet for very long with so many siblings cramped together under one roof, even if it was a fairly large roof.

As one might come to expect, Ciel was naturally at the center of all the craziness. Normally Autumn would just ignore it or risk getting involved in one of her elder sister's pranks. However, the voice that was shouting after her clearly belonged to the only brother in their household. Curiosity getting the best of her, Autumn poked her head out into the hallway just in time for Ciel to sprint past, furiously pounding on the buttons of the small portable game system as she raced away with Jaune hot on her tail.

"Sharing is caring, Jaune!" Ciel called back as she rounded the corner with ease.

"I just got that for my birthday! At least let me beat it before you steal it!" He slid into the wall but quickly recovered as he pushed off it for greater momentum and continued the chase.

A dangerous glint lit up in Autumn's green eyes as she started out of the room and after them.

"Autumn! Where are you going?" Her younger sister, Rouge, called after her.

"To help Ciel of course!" She took off running after the two of them.

"B-but isn't big brother the one that needs help?" Leave it to Rouge to side with him. She seriously looked up to him too much, especially considering that he didn't wield one of the swords.

She rounded the corner and ran into the living room to see the two of them weaving through the furniture, Ciel nimbly hopping over it while Jaune kept awkwardly fumbling into it in a bid to keep pace with her.

This was perfect. Both of them were too distracted to even realize that she was there. Ciel's purple eyes were occupied with the screen and Jaune was feverishly glaring at her waving blue hair. Neither of them had any idea Autumn approached at all until it was too late and she stuck her foot out right in front of Jaune's path.

"Ooph!" He gave a small grunt as she successfully tripped him and he went flying forward through the air due to his momentum. Ciel wasn't prepared for his sudden flight and he smacked right into her, sending her sprawling into a chair which quickly toppled over with a loud crash that surely the entire household heard.

They laid sprawled out over the chair for several seconds in a tangled mass of limbs before finally trying to disentangle themselves from one another.

"Get off me, bro!" Ciel struggled to get out from under Jaune, shoving a hand on his face in the process.

"It wasn't my fault! Autumn tripped me! Now give me back my Gameboy!" He finally freed himself from her and got to his feet. He held out his hand in order to receive his device before realizing that it was no longer in her grasp.

Autumn's eyes trailed to the other side of the chair and her eyes must have caught sight of it at the same time as Jaune because she heard him give a small gasp at that moment. His Gameboy had clattered to the hardwood floor during their tumble and it hadn't taken well to the impact.

The batteries had popped out the back and the game cartridge had been ejected across the floor. That part was fine and could just be placed back in, but wasn't going to be so easily fixed was the fractured screen.

"Oooh…" Ciel pushed herself over the downed chair and draped her body across it. Slowly she turned back to Jaune and gave a forced smile. "...Sorry bro." For a moment she actually sounded sincere but it was almost immediately ruined by her next words. "If you wouldn't be so stingy though and had just let me play…" Her voice trailed off as Jaune's wrapped hands began trembling. His eyes were obscured by his blonde hair and his mouth was clamped together so tight his lip was barely visible.

Autumn flicked one of her orange twintails and strolled by him without remorse. It's not like this was her fault after all. He should have been paying more attention and shouldn't have even allowed Ciel to take his game in the first place.

"It's not like it's a big deal. Just get father to buy a new one. Who even cares?" She stopped in between Jaune and Ciel. "Besides-"

"Sh-... -p." Jaune's mouth opened and something inaudible crept past his lips.

"Huh? What did you just say to me?"

"I told you to just shut up!" Jaune's head whipped up and his furious blue eyes became visible for her to see while he screamed at the top of his lungs, causing the younger girl to back up in fear.

"For once in your life would it kill you to just not say anything!? Is that too much to ask!? I try and try to be nice to you! That's all I ever do! Yet you just keep running your mouth and putting me down! I'm sick of it!" He slammed his foot on the ground and tears started rolling down his face and off his chin.

"H-hey, bro…" Ciel stumbled off the chair and lifted up a hesitating hand.

"No! Why couldn't you just let me have my game?! I got it for my birthday! I just wanted to beat it first! You say get a new one like it's so easy but that one was special! That one was mine!" His breath became ragged and he gave a small hiccup. "I...I just…" As he stuttered over his own words he turned away from them before bolting out of the room. "I hate all of you!"

Autumn stood there with her mouth agape, still unable to react to Jaune's unexpected outburst.

Hate? Jaune...hated her? No... that wasn't right. He didn't hate anyone. No matter how many times she picked on him or what she said he would never hate her. He was her big brother after all and it was his job to love her no matter what... wasn't it?

"Ahh... man!" Ciel flopped back on the broken chair and gave an exaggerated sigh. "We really messed up big this time."

How could she say it like that? It was almost like she didn't even care or hadn't even heard what Jaune had just shouted at them. What if he never forgave them? What if-

"Earth to Autumn." Ciel snapped her fingers in front of her. "Come on, don't start crying too. I'm going to need your help to fix this." Crying? Who was crying? Autumn lifted a hand to her cheek and actually did feel tears rolling down her face.

Then there was that other thing Ciel just said.

"F-fix it?" Her voice cracked and it felt unexpectedly hoarse and dry. Was what Ciel said even possible? The screen was damaged after all and she didn't know anything about repairing things like that.

"Yeah." Ciel rolled back off the chair and picked up the Gameboy. "I bet you Amy has some spare parts lying around... and probably some time. She's good with all this techy stuff."

"Y-You think he'll forgive us if we fix it?" Autumn hated the pleading hope that leaked into her voice but at this point she couldn't bring herself to care about that.

"Forgive us?" Ciel tilted her head and made a snort of amusement. "He's our brother. Of course he'll forgive us." She paused and seemed to think about it for another second. "I suppose this is the first time he's snapped at you like that, huh?" Autumn could only give a small nod. "Well...this probably isn't going to be the last. We're siblings after all. We all get on each other's nerves once in awhile. What's important to know is that it won't last. In the end we always forgive each other."

Autumn didn't really get it.

"So even if we don't do anything, Jaune will still forgive us?"

"That's right. Although it'll probably take longer that way. Thing is though, you and I were in the wrong this time. That means we gotta make it up to him. If we don't, even if he forgives us I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. That's another part of being family, I guess."

"It sounds confusing."

"I know, and trust me, it doesn't get any easier." Ciel put a finger to her lip for a second before nodding to herself. "Think about it this way. We can fix it now, or we can wait for Violet to come back and find out about it."

That did not sound good. If Violet found out they made Jaune cry...Autumn didn't even want to think about it.

"If Amy can fix it...what then? Jaune probably doesn't want to talk to us."

"Already a step ahead of you." Ciel gave her a thumbs up and a quick wink. "Go get that teddy bear Jaune gave you a couple Christmas' ago. You know, the one you snuggle with every night."

"How do you know about that!?" Autumn shrieked as she flailed her arms. She hadn't let anyone except Rouge know that she still even kept that thing.

"Do you really have to ask? I'm your big sister!" Ciel spun and pointed dramatically. "Now hurry up. Operation Get-Bro-to-Forgive-Us begins now!"

* * *

Jaune sniffled as he sat on the porch and just stared aimlessly across the yard.

The sun was setting now, casting an orange glow over the forest and causing the air to chill. He gave a small shiver but refused to go back inside. He didn't want to see anyone from his family right now. Or ever.

 _Squeak Squeak Squeak_

His ear twitched as he heard the odd noise of something inanimate walking across the wooden porch behind him. He slowly turned his head to see a familiar looking teddy bear standing upright just behind him.

That was odd. He had gotten that bear for Autumn a couple Christmas' ago now. She had appeared elated by it at the time but he had long since thought she had gotten rid of it, especially considering the way she acted towards him most times.

What's more, it was standing and moving on its own, likely with the help of Ciel's Semblance. Normally she only breathed life into inanimate objects for pranks but it didn't seem like that was the bear's purpose this time as it walked up to him, arms behind its back.

As he stared at it, it appeared to look right back at him before pulling its hands forward and presenting him with his Gameboy...in condition that was better than new.

What the…

He reached his hand gingerly forward and took the Gameboy from the bear and felt a small piece of paper crinkle in his hand that had been hidden behind the device. He set the Gameboy down and unfolded the paper.

'Hey Jaune. It's Amy. Ciel more or less told me what happened. Fortunately for you I had some spare parts so I fixed the screen up. Also, I added a backlight to it so now you can even play it in the dark. By the way, Autumn looks absolutely crushed so try to forgive her quickly. I know it's hard to tell sometimes but she only treats you that way because she wants your attention. I would know...I kind of do the same thing to Violet after all. Don't tell anyone I said that. And don't let Ciel read this. I'll kill you if she uses that against me.'

He gave a small smile as tears once again welled up in the corner of his eyes.

He already knew that about Autumn. He also knew Ciel just liked being included in what everyone else was up to as well.

After folding the paper up and placing it in his pocket he picked the Gameboy back up. It really did look better than new. With a click it powered on and a bright light emitted from the screen as the console logo displayed across it.

"...I know the two of you are hiding behind the door." He called out just loud enough for them to hear. Almost immediately he heard the two of them shuffle loudly behind the doorframe as they tried to quietly retreat only to fail horribly and stumble out into the open.

"Hehe...hey bro! What a coincidence!" Ciel chuckled awkwardly and gave a small wave. Autumn didn't say anything and stared at him with a mixture of fear and anxiety. He had to fight the urge to sigh as he saw her expression. He hadn't meant to hurt her like that.

"...You two wanna watch me play? Amethyst made it bright enough so we all can see." He held up the Gameboy and gave them both an awkward smile of his own as he tried to restore the peace.

Ciel grinned brightly as she jumped back up to her feet.

"For sure!" She made it to his side in an instant and plopped down next to him.

Autumn wasn't quite as quick and didn't say anything at first as she made her way over to him. Once she was right next to him she sat down and buried her cheek into his shoulder so she could see his game.

"...I'm sorry."

Jaune ruffled her orange hair with his hands.

"Eh, me too. But let's not worry about that anymore, okay?"

She gave a small nod and he smiled brightly.

"Good. We got a game to play." He turned back to his screen and started up the game.


	11. Agree to Disagree

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Agree to Disagree_

* * *

Had she...lost?

This was the first thought that crossed Pyrrha Nikos' mind as her consciousness returned.

Her eyes fluttered open and the first person to greet her waking vision was the very man that had put her under to begin with. Jaune Arc sat on a chair in the infirmary just next to the bed she was currently bound to.

His elbows were placed on his knees and fingers crossed as he leaned forward and stared blankly ahead, a pair of headphones in his ears.

Her arm twitched as she pushed herself upright, catching his attention. He pulled the earbuds off and blue eyes meet green.

"...It was a draw." Jaune answered her question without her even having to so much as ask.

"A draw?" Pyrrha didn't understand. How was that possible? She had been knocked out. She remembered mecha-shifting Milo into a rifle but there was no way the bullet fired from it had been capable of rendering him unconscious too.

Jaune simply nodded to her question. "Before you passed out, my Aura was knocked into the red. It was technically your win but you weren't exactly standing either. So Professor Goodwitch concluded the match as a draw." He said that as if it was the logical decision. Yet that was as far from the truth as he could be. If that had been a real life or death battle, Jaune would've been the one alive. She would be nothing more than a corpse. If that same thing happened while she was fighting Joan…

"So what happens now?" Pyrrha averted her gaze, unable to look any longer into his blue eyes.

"That's a good question." Jaune leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. "We both said what we wanted...and in the end we couldn't agree. So we kept fighting to prove our point to the other. Yet the end result turned out like that. Even if you try to say you want to do it my way because I was the one still standing, I wouldn't feel right."

"We can't continue to disagree either though." Pyrrha continued to stare at the bedsheets. "Joan's life depends on us. If we're still fighting when we find her...it won't end well for any of us. Not me. Not you. Especially not for her."

"That's right. So I guess...we have to come to a compromise."

"What did you have in mind?"

"It's not perfect, but maybe for now we should just focus on different people? I'll go after Autumn my way and you go after Joan your way. There's no guarantee all my sisters will even appear together whenever they next strike anyways. If Autumn and Joan are together though, it'll be better for us to split the workload. That way we may be able to bring them both back."

"Not an agreement to work together but a truce to not get in one another's way." Pyrrha clarified.

"Yeah, something like that." Jaune didn't disagree.

Once more blue eyes met green and this time there was a small flicker of resolution between them. In the end they hadn't been able to work out their differences. But at the very least the two of them had come to an arrangement that they could both accept. As long as his sisters and her partner were safe in the end they could sacrifice their pride.

"...Thank you, Pyrrha." Jaune mumbled as he got to his feet and turned towards the door.

"For what?" She didn't understand what he had to be thankful for. She had caused him nothing but grief and frustration since he arrived.

"For caring about my sister."

* * *

Jaune stepped out of the infirmary and into the hallway. On either wall was a line of chairs for visitors. On the right wall sat RWBY and his sister. On the left wall sat Ren and Nora.

The moment he was out, Pyrrha's teammates were on their feet, anxiously trying to glance into the room and check on her before entering themselves.

"She's awake." That was all he said at first.

Pyrrha was a little easier for him to deal with now that he and her had come to some form of a compromise. The truth was, he dealt specifically with her because she was the de-facto leader of the team right now and the person who had been Joan's partner. That made her the one he had been most set on convincing. As he looked at Ren and Nora though, he realized that maybe he hadn't been entirely right. Even if they weren't quite as close to Joan as Pyrrha was, they were still her teammates. She was their leader and they cared greatly for what happened to her. It was possible they wanted to deal with things differently from Pyrrha yet, he didn't know. He hadn't tried to understand what they were thinking.

"...The two of us have come to a temporary agreement." So at the very least he decided to tell them what happened. If they wanted to do things Pyrrha's way, he wouldn't stop them. If they had a different idea yet, he would listen. He owed them that much. "I'm going to try and free Autumn first. I'm leaving Joan in your hands. Things might not go that smoothly depending on what my sisters do next, but for now it's the best plan we got."

Ren and Nora glanced at one another and some kind of unspoken conversation passed between them. It ended when Ren closed his eyes and gave a short nod to the shorter girl. Nora broke out in one of the biggest grins Jaune had ever seen as she twirled back to face him.

"We won't let you down!" She saluted rigidly and stood up on the tips of her toes. "We'll prove to you that Joan can be saved without having to break her sword! Then we can all eat pancakes together and put all this behind us." Jaune gave a small smile to her exuberant shout. He would love to put all of this behind him. He couldn't do that after only saving Joan though. He couldn't bring himself to say this aloud and bring her down so instead just remained quiet as she ran past him and into the infirmary to greet her teammate.

Ren stepped next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "...Thank you. It means a lot that you'll put your trust in us. Even if our methods are different...we all want the same thing. We just want Joan by our side again." Jaune wasn't sure, but he could've sworn he detected a small hint of longing in Ren's voice as he said those words.

As the eastern boy stepped past him and opened the door, Jaune couldn't help but calling back. "What exactly...is Joan to you?"

Even though Ren was behind him, Jaune could tell he had paused and appeared to be mulling over his question. "...I suppose I love her. Not that I ever said it."

Jaune could only nod and close his eyes. The idea of his twin going out and finding someone to love had never even occurred to him. Yet it only made sense that it would happen eventually. It was just another way in which they had drifted apart. "You'll be able to do that once you guys save her, I'm sure."

"..." Ren didn't respond but Jaune knew he took the time to process those words before quietly stepping into the infirmary and closing the door.

With the two of them gone, Jaune went to turn towards team RWBY. He only partially succeeded before a red blur tackled into his arm like a rocket and sent him spinning. By some miracle he managed to stay standing as Ruby hopped up and down excitedly while clinging to his arm.

"Oh my gosh! oh my gosh! I can't believe it! You...you beat Pyrrha in a fight!" She was certainly more excited than he had expected over the outcome of that match. This was the first he had talked to any of them since he had been called up by Professor Goodwitch. He could've stayed with them for the duration of the class but had wanted to be there when Pyrrha woke up so they could finish their talk. In the end that had worked out but apparently the anticipation to see him had been just about killing Ruby.

"It was just a draw…" He tried to dismiss her excitement but it did little in the way of alleviating it.

"You're the only one that thinks that." Weiss walked up to him and flipped her scroll over for him to read. There was already a news article on Beacon's virtual community, with video of the fight to boot. "The only thing everyone sees is some nobody-" Did she really have to call him that? "-bringing down the invincible Pyrrha Nikos. Very few students have ever so much as even put a scratch on her Aura, let alone what you just did."

"You even cancelled out her Semblance!" Ruby continued to gush. "I thought Yang was lying when she told me you could do that!"

"Hey!" Yang cried indignantly.

"How _did_ you do that?" Blake even ninja'd her way into the conversation, appearing mysteriously behind him. "Have you thought of ways to stop all our Semblances?"

"I-I haven't given it much thought." Blake's Semblance would be especially problematic because its very nature was meant to evade and not press the advantage. Weiss' was at least easy in that it took her time to prepare. Why was he thinking about this again? "As for Pyrrha's...I had the idea when Yang first told me about her polarity. I didn't know it would work until I actually got an up-close look of her using it. It was really just about disrupting her focus at the exact moment she activated her polarity. By channeling Aura into my foot, I created a thick layer of energy between my sole and the floor. When I pushed down that energy exploded outwards and pushed my foot up. I just let the momentum take care of the rest."

"A kick that strong should have just knocked Pyrrha out though." Yang rubbed her chin and had a look of contemplation on her face for several seconds. "Unless…" Her eyes lit up as she figured it out. "...Your foot was still shielded by the dense concentration of Aura! When that much Aura struck Pyrrha it acted as a buffer that merely dazed her instead of causing any real damage!"

"That's...exactly right." Wow. He had to hand it to Yang, she really knew her stuff when it came to fighting. "It's not normally a very effective move. It greatly reduces my Aura to the rest of my body and like you said, it doesn't really do anything more than stun them. In certain situations though it's a handy trick."

"Such as canceling out a troublesome Semblance." Blake finally appeared satisfied and took a step away from him. He couldn't help but wonder if she was thinking of trying to learn that technique for some reason. Not that he was opposed to teaching her. Albeit this was the first chance he ever had to put it into actual practice. Although such a technique would be absolutely useless against a creature of Grimm.

"I just hope you know that you've flipped our whole student hierarchy on its head with this win." Weiss was still reading through the comments below the video.

"Let's also all remember that Vomit Boy here hasn't once beat me in a spar either." Yang puffed out her chest with pride and placed both fists on her hips. "I think that officially makes me the new queen around here!"

"That is odd." Blake rolled her eyes at her partner's eccentric display. "You can best Pyrrha in a match, but not Yang?"

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"It is all about exploitation." Rouge finally wedged her way into the group and took a spot just next to Jaune opposite Ruby. "Miss Nikos bends metal to her will. Big brother does not wear any metal at all whereas Yang has her gauntlets. In the same vein, big brother specializes in disarming and hand to hand combat. Miss Nikos may be trained in martial arts but not at the same level."

"Even if Vomit Boy takes away my gauntlets though I've still got a mean left hook." Yang flexed her bicep. "Not to mention my Semblance is just a bad match up against his hit and run fighting style. Even if he can reset my Semblance with a trick it doesn't stop it altogether like what happened to Pyrrha."

"All this technical talk is making me hungry. Anyone else want food?" Ruby's stomach choose that moment to growl loudly in protest, almost as if to agree with her words.

A wicked smirk spread across Yang's face as she strut forward and threw an arm on Jaune's shoulder. "Ya hear that Vomit Boy? Ruby is going to buy us all food to celebrate your victory!"

* * *

Too bad it was impossible for team RWBY to eat in peace.

It seemed like every couple bites and someone else was coming up to talk to Jaune about his fight with Pyrrha. The poor unsocial guy had no idea how to handle all the attention he was now receiving from the entire student body and that left the members of RWBY to do the talking for him. Even if he appeared comfortable with them it was clear he had a long way to go before he could talk properly to strangers.

Yang really thought he had been making progress in the social department lately too but that was only as far as they were concerned it would appear. He was going to have to get used to it quick. After what he just did, he was going to be the talk of the school for quite some time.

The fact was, his arrival and existence in and of itself had been big news. He should have been sought out far more regularly by the other students before now. However, he had more or less escaped this before because he appeared otherwise unremarkable and most people didn't even realize who he was at a glance. Now they had a face to pin to the unheard of brother of the Seven Arc Sisters and it was on a video of him putting Pyrrha Nikos on her ass no less.

It went without saying that he wanted none of this attention and even Yang was beginning to find it a bit irritating. Sure, she was no stranger to attention but usually it was from guys too nervous to actually approach her and on the occasional instances from those cocky enough to think she would even be interested. This was a whole nother level though and at this point Yang just wanted to eat the food her adorable little sister had got for them.

The next guy to walk up to them caused her eyes to flash a dangerous shade of red and her hair to flare brightly. Needless to say, it had the desired effect and they were finally left to eat their food as people skirted around them. The glances didn't cease but so long as Jaune hung out by her he should be left in peace.

After that though, he was on his own.

Speaking of him, he still had barely touched his food despite the fact that he was the one who hadn't really been doing the talking. "Something eating at'cha Vomit Boy?"

His eyes darted off his plate and met her gaze. For several moments he didn't say anything as he appeared to contemplate his answer. The other members of team RWBY took notice and they all turned this attention to him as well.

Finally, he pulled out the pocket radio he always had on him and placed it on the table. "While I was waiting for Pyrrha to wake up I turned on my radio again and was listening for news on my sisters."

"Did you finally hear something new?" Rouge pressed her fingers together and her shoulders perked up.

Jaune shook his head. "That's just it. There's still nothing. They haven't done anything at all and it's been over two weeks now."

"So we just keep waiting, right?" Ruby offered in her usual optimistic cheer.

"What he means is it's unusual." Blake drummed her fingers against the table and he nodded in agreement. "After all that destruction they caused at Domremy it doesn't make sense for them to lie low. They're powerful enough that they shouldn't even need to fear retaliation. The fact that they're staying quiet means they must be up to something where they don't want to draw attention to themselves."

Yang could see where her partner's line of thought was taking her. "You think they're gathering allies with the criminal underworld of Vale then?"

"I don't see why his sisters would need the help of such scum." Weiss snapped, waving her spoon around. "Even if it makes sense to gather allies the most they would be used for is fodder."

"It's really the only thing that makes sense though. Why else would they have not shown themselves?" Blake sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than them.

"Well, there's really only one way to find out." Yang grinned brightly as an idea formed. "How about you and I take a little field trip down into Vale tonight?" She flicked a finger towards Jaune.

"Shouldn't we all go?" Ruby quickly interjected.

Yang dismissed her with a small wave. "Nah, we're just going to get information. See if anything is being stirred up down in the underbelly of our fair city."

"Information...from who?" Jaune didn't look like he even wanted to know the answer but of course he had to ask. If there was a chance to find his sisters it went without saying he would take it.

Yang smirked. Looked like he was in. This was going to be fun, it'd been awhile since she last crashed this place after all. "His name is Hei Xiong."

"Most people just call him Junior."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Prompt for Omake supplied by a very lazy person

* * *

 **Omake 07**

 _To be Needed_

* * *

Amethyst Arc often felt different from her sisters.

At first she couldn't pin down why. She just knew in some way, or maybe in several ways, that she wasn't like them.

She wasn't strong willed and dependable like Violet. Despite being the second-eldest sibling, none of the others ever looked up to her for answers or guidance. They always skipped right past her and went to perfect, perfect Violet.

She didn't share any of the interests her sisters did. They all took pride in using their swords and loved training with them. She...hated her sword. Mortem Caligo was the scythe that could summon the spirits of the dead. It was possibly the strongest of all the blades as the souls she could summon had limitless capabilities.

What they didn't tell you, was the one compatible with the sword could hear the thousand screaming souls seeking release whenever she resonated with her weapon. Those piercing, shrieking voices were enough to drive you mad. So Amethyst retreated into herself, locking her ears away with the heavy beat of her favorite bands and music.

Even when she did pull her headphones off to talk to her sisters, she never knew what to say to any of them. It didn't really matter what the conversation was about, she could never relate. Not when it came to sports, not the latest drama, and especially not when they started talking about boys.

"All girls look for in a man is confidence." That was what their father always said and her sisters proudly repeated it when they talked about what guys were good and what ones weren't. What if though...a girl wasn't interested in men? What was she supposed to look for then? Did it work the same way when looking for a girl?

Amethyst didn't dare ask their father. They had a rather...traditional family. She had no idea how he would take it. At the same time she couldn't talk to her sisters. That was all she needed, to feel even more outplaced by them.

And so Amethyst had learned to keep to herself.

This continued until she was fifteen years old.

That year Violet became an adult and went off to Beacon.

She thought if she was ever going to change than wouldn't it be now? Without Violet around, she was the eldest. Did that mean it was up to her to oversee the rest of their training? Would they have to rely on her in place of Violet? Deep in her heart, she may have even hoped that was the case.

Only for reality to slap her harshly in the face. The sisters didn't expect nor did they really need her to guide them. Even without Violet, her strict training had been so ingrained into them they simply continued it as part of their routine. If there was ever a disagreement or a spat they simply left Violet a message and waited for her to get back with them.

Ciel's pranks continued unhindered. Olivia remained a neat-freak. And Amethyst stayed a recluse even amongst her own family.

Until one day she couldn't take it anymore.

"Amethyst!"

"Where you goin'?"

She ignored her sisters calls, pretending she couldn't hear them over the sound of her music. There hadn't been a dramatic fight. Nothing happened that could really have been called the trigger. Just all at once, while training in the family dojo with the rest of her sisters, she felt a wave of total helplessness wash over her. It was almost as if at that moment she realized her situation was never going to change.

So she ran away. Away from the dojo. Away from her sisters. Away from what little responsibility she had.

She didn't really know where she planned to go. But as she ran into their backyard she caught sight of a shed at the edge of their property. It was very rare anyone from the family went there. Violet hated that shed and got a dark look in her eye whenever it was brought up so the rest of them remained silent and just didn't go near it.

Somehow it felt like the perfect place to escape to. Somewhere no one would bother her. She ran up to the shed and activated her Semblance to phase through the door without even opening it.

"Gah!" And unexpectedly startled her ten-year-old brother. More specifically, her only brother. He floundered on the floor where he had been lying and struggled to get back to his feet. The only light in the room came from window and a brightly lit lantern sitting on a wooden chair.

Only once he was halfway up did he pause and realize who it was that had barged in on him. One earbud dangled in the air, the other still firmly placed in his ear. His wide blue eyes stared into her red ones in a combination of anxiety and confusion. "...Amethyst?" He called out, almost as if to verify she was even real.

It was only then she realized that she had frozen stiff too. She truly hadn't expected anyone to be here, least of all him. Wasn't he supposed to be at their uncle's right now, training? Did it even matter where he was supposed to be? He was here right now and so was she. Should she...leave? He was here first.

"Are you skipping training too?" He spoke again, this time in relief as he reached an apparent conclusion.

"...Something like that." Well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just stay here for a minute. She leaned against the door and slowly lowered herself to a sitting position. Jaune plopped back down to his butt and gave her a relieved grin. The two of them sat in what felt to Amethyst like an incredibly awkward silence but he didn't appear to mind. Still, she couldn't help but wonder… "So why are you skipping?"

His face wrinkled as if he tasted something unpleasant. "I don't even see the point!" He flailed dramatically and fell back against the wooden floor. He held his wrapped arms above him and stared at his hands. Those hands that were meant to destroy the swords in case they were ever stolen. "Rouge is only eight and yet she's already so strong with that sword of her's! There's no way any of you will ever lose in a fight!" He said all this loudly before adding quietly. "...It's like none of you even need me."

Amethyst hadn't even heard those words over the sound of her music, yet she knew that was exactly what he said. It was almost as if those words resonated in the deepest part of her soul. She knew exactly how he felt right at that moment.

Of all their siblings, he was the one that truly got it, truly understood how she felt. And it was her brother, no less. The best part was he didn't even know it. She couldn't help it. Something about that was so funny that she let out a loud laugh. He sprung back up to a sitting position and gave her a look of betrayal.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh." Amethyst spoke in between gasps for breath until her breathing finally calmed down. "It's just...I really sympathize with you right now."

"You...you do?" He quirked an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Yeah. You're exactly right...what's the point?" Amethyst pulled her headphones off and placed them around the back of her neck. "I'm not even sure there is one myself." She stared up at the ceiling like he had been doing. It was weird. The floor should've been uncomfortable. Yet for some reason she couldn't help but feel a bout of drowsiness wash over her and gave a small sigh of content.

She heard Jaune flop back down and the two of them just stared up at the ceiling together. For several minutes they were just lost in their thoughts. They didn't have to say anything and yet the silence wasn't the least bit awkward. It might have been the first time Amethyst ever felt comfortable being in complete silence with another.

"Hey Jaune…" She interrupted the silence anyways. At the moment, she felt like she could trust him with anything, and she didn't know if that would go away.

"What's up?"

"What exactly is it you look for in a girl?"

"Hmm...I guess a girl that values family."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Like, she doesn't have to be confident or strong. It's not bad if she is, but I'm fine with a normal girl too. So long as she loves her family I think the two of us could get along."

"Huh. That's pretty sophisticated thinking for a kid your age."

"Is it? I guess it's because family is all I really know. All of you are so important to me. I don't know what I would do if I actually had to use these glyphs because something happened to one of you."

A small smile spread across Amethyst's face. He said "all of them". He could've just as easily said Joan or Violet or Rouge, but he made a point to include them all. To him, they were all equally important. In a small sense, he needed them all, which meant he needed her. That felt nice.

"We should hang out like this more often, Jaune."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I need someone I can slack off with."


	12. Hei Xiong

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Hei Xiong_

* * *

One of the most troublesome things about being born an Arc was the ungodly feeling of motion sickness you got the moment of even so much as looking at a vehicle.

Despite this, Jaune and his sisters had learned to cope with the strains of their family curse, usually fasting before extensive travels, bringing plenty of bags to empty their stomachs into, and taking placebo's that never fooled their stomachs. Having said that, some vehicles were worse than others. However, Jaune could undoubtedly claim that this was the absolutely, positively, worst form of transportation he had ever had the displeasure of being forced onto.

Yang cruised through downtown Vale at breakneck speeds on her bike, Bumblebee, and Jaune had been unwittingly strapped to the back of the two-wheeled death trap she had the audacity to give a cute nickname to. It had taken some creative thinking between the two of them to finally decide to strap Jaune backwards on the bike. Yang at first just insisted that he sit forward but the moment he reminded her that he would without fail puke right onto the back of her hair she quickly started coming up with other solutions which led them to their current arrangement.

It went without saying...but he was sick.

He hated vehicles, this one more than any other right at this moment. He couldn't help but think this as he gave another unhealthy heave into one of the many brown paper bags he had brought with him for this little excursion into the seedier side of Vale. How or why Yang knew about this place he didn't even want to know. He just wished it wasn't so out of the way right now. Hopefully this would all be worth it. Any amount of torture was worth suffering through if it got him one step closer to finding and ultimately saving his sisters. Even if that torture was the strange and unusual punishment of being subjected to Yang's insane and reckless driving habits.

Finally and to Jaune's undying relief, they slowed to a stop and she flipped down the kickstand. "We're here." Those words were music to his ears. He didn't even care how pathetic he looked. The moment he unstrapped himself from the seat he collapsed off the bike and onto the ground on his knees. He bent over and placed the palms of his hands on the dirty cement, spilling his bag of barf over the already trashed surface. If it wasn't so absolutely filthy he probably would've kissed the earth beneath him. Instead he settled for thanking whatever deity that was listening for seeing him through what was possibly the most terrifying experience of his entire life right up to this moment.

"...I'm almost embarrassed just to be seen with you." He ignored her jabbing remark as some sense of balance returned to his still trembling legs. With no small amount of effort he climbed to his feet before dusting off the trash and debris that clung to his knees. He could really use Olivia and her disinfectant right about now. Who knew what kind of super germs hung out around here.

"I'm lucky to be alive just hanging out with you." He took in their surroundings, trying to figure out where exactly "here" even was. They were underneath some overpass which just screamed shady and judging by the goons guarding the doors, this wasn't a place your average joe just strolled up to. Yet that was exactly what Yang seemed to be doing, not that there was anything about her that you could call average.

He gave a light jog to catch up before matching her pace. Now that they were approaching the door, he took better note of the what from a distance appeared to be intimidating thugs, but upon closer inspection appeared to be absolutely terrified thugs. They were about shaking in their boots and while he couldn't see their eyes thanks to the red spectacles their mouths were clearly agape in horror.

He wondered for a second what could cause such a reaction but also immediately got his answer once Yang stopped in front of them. "Hey guys. Long time no see. Now...are you going to let me in this time or are we gonna have to do things the fun way again?" He didn't even want to know what the "fun way" was. Apparently the guards didn't want to re-experience it either because they quickly held the doors open for the two of them and they strolled right in.

The second they passed the threshold and loud thumping music assaulted his ears. He thought for sure there was no way they were going to be able to get information from this place unless it was passed around in writing. It only got worse from there, as they passed another set of doors and multi-colored flashing lights assaulted his vision, nearly blinding him.

The place was crawling with more of the similarly dressed goons like those posted outside and there was no shortage of equally unpleasant looking patrons, who whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was now apart of. Yang ignored all of this like it was just some practiced routine and strolled through the crowds as she made her way to the bar on the opposite end.

He followed after her as closely as possible, trying to make himself small and unnoticeable, which actually wasn't too hard for him. For once he was thankful for his innate invisibility that made him just kind of fall off most people's radars. They made it to the bar without incident and Yang plopped down at one of the many stools. He nervously took the one next to her, still unsure of why they were even in such a place to begin with.

"Hey bartender!" Yang waved over another one of the indistinguishable goons who immediately went rigid when he realized who it was that called him. "Tell your boss I want my usual! Strawberry Sunrise with one of those cute little umbrellas. And for my friend here…" She hiked a thumb his way before pausing to contemplate. "...you seem like an Old Fashioned type guy."

"What part of me looks like I enjoy whiskey?" No, before that. Why were they ordering drinks exactly?

"An Old Fashioned for him!" Damn it Yang.

The bartender immediately began mixing their drinks while another lackey ran off and towards the back room, probably to get this "Boss" Yang had asked for, who Jaune assumed was this Junior character she mentioned before they even departed.

"Ah, Melanie! Militia! What's up girls?!" Yang waved further down the bar and Jaune saw too incredibly intimidating girls, one with claws on her hands and the other blades on the back of her boots.

They shot annoyed glances at Yang before turning up their noses and walking off with an audible "Hmph." Well, so much for them being friends. Was anyone in this place actually happy to see Yang here? He was starting to think not judging by the fact the rest of the staff was staying as clear from her as possible. The poor bartender's hands were trembling like leaves as he set their drinks down in front of them.

"Do I even wanna know what you've done to terrorize this place?" He almost felt bad for everyone here, despite the fact that they were all indisputably crooks.

"It's actually a great series of stories." Yang grinned and took a sip from her drink.

"There's more than one story!?" It was a miracle these guys hadn't packed up and moved business elsewhere.

"You gonna drink that or what?" She ignored his shock completely and pointed at the beverage placed in front of him.

"The last thing I need right now is alcohol." Then again, with everything he had gone through recently, it was amazing he hadn't turned to a bottle. He supposed it could just be the drive to save his sisters that was keeping him going and focused like he was.

"You sure? It'd be pretty crazy if you turned out to be one of those insanely awesome drunken martial arts masters or something and just didn't even know it because you were too much of a wimp to live a little." This girl watched too many action movies...not that he had room to talk. He had once tried to steal his mom's wine because he thought the exact same thing. It went without saying he got caught and mother had the evil idea to let Ciel and Joan decide the punishment. That day he had to walk around town with them in a dress. He never tried to steal alcohol again after that.

Speaking of which… "I really hope you're paying for this. I don't exactly have anything in the way of money right now." Losing your home and family in a fire tended to leave one strapped financially.

"Ah, don't worry about it." She waved away his concern with a simple flick of the wrist. "These are on the house. Junior owes me."

"And how exactly do you figure that one, Blondie?" Jaune gave a small squeak as a towering man strolled up behind them. Why anyone called this man Junior was beyond him. This guy looked like he could pick Jaune up and snap him in half with one hand.

Predictably, Yang wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Junior!" She stood up and spread her arms wide as if to hug a long time friend she hadn't seen in awhile. "How've you been, buddy?" The hulk of a man made no move to return the gesture.

"I was doing pretty good as it's been some time since you last showed up. To what do I owe this unfortunate pleasure this time?"

"Well-"

"Don't tell me. You're looking for someone?" He cut her off in a deadpan.

Yang raised a hand to her chest and clutched it like she was experiencing heart pain. "Oh Junior! I'm hurt! Do you really think I'm so predictable? I thought our meetings were more spontaneous and full of unforeseen circumstance than that!"

"If by that you mean that every time you show up this place gets trashed and I go into debt, than yes." Somehow Jaune knew it was something like that. "Also, every time you've come in here it's been to find someone. And every time I don't have the answer you want which leads us back to my previous statement. So let's just cut to the chase." He leaned against the counter and glared at her from a dangerously close proximity. More dangerous for who, Jaune wasn't sure, but his money was on Yang coming out on top.

"Alright. If you just want to skip some steps, I'm game." The bracers on her arms unfolded and he heard a loud click as the barrels of Ember Celica loaded. "How about we get right to where I make a mess of the place?"

"..." Junior held her angry gaze for another several seconds before giving an exhausted sigh and backing off. "That's the last thing this place needs. The damage gets worse every time and I'm worried that the next time you get involved in a fight here this building won't even be left standing."

"Aww, thanks Junior." No, no. That didn't sound like a compliment at all. "If you ever need a little renovation done, just let me know."

Junior covered his eyes with the palm of his hand before wiping it down and off his bearded chin. "Please, just no. I'll really have to retire if that happens."

"You're not as fun as you used to be." Yang dropped back down to the stool and snagged her drink before taking a quick sip. "So can we finally get down to business?"

"Might as well get it over with." Junior folded his arms and stood up straight. "What do you wanna know?"

"Has there been any unusual movement in the criminal underground lately?" Like a switch was flicked in her head, Yang went from flirty and loose to serious business in the blink of an eye. It was actually kind of frightening how instantaneous the transformation had been and just added fuel to the doubts he already had about this chick.

"Hmm…" Junior scratched his beard for a second before giving a small shrug. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that. The underground is always moving. Depending on who's asking and what they're asking for many different things can look suspicious. I mean, it is a network of criminals after all. It would be weird if it didn't."

Yang clicked her teeth in annoyance. "I hate it when you make good points. Alright, let me think for a second…" She tapped a heel against the leg of the stool and took another sip of her drink. "How about this? Have there been any new players lately? Maybe someone or a group of someones doing some major recruiting?"

To this question Junior shook his head. "Nah, nothing like that. There hasn't been anything major going on since the White Fang and that Black Queen figure. Once she got taken down, along with Roman Torchwick and his crew...well, the underground took a pretty big blow from that. A lot of them were affiliated with the White Fang too, but now that they're a non-violent civil protest group again a lot of reshuffling has been going on. Despite all that, no new bloods have been trying to make a name for themselves. Well, not any that look like they'll be big hitters at least. Which is what I assume you're looking for."

Yang bit the edge of her thumb nail. "Dang...maybe Blake was wrong after all." She mumbled this under her breath.

Jaune had to admit, he thought it was a promising bet too. Why else would his sisters not be making some kind of a big scene? Sure, they were strong. But they had to need allies for whatever kind of plan it was that they had. Hell, they had tried to recruit him after all. Maybe if he had actually gotten some kind of clue as to what that plan was supposed to be they would know what exactly it was his sisters were even trying to do right now that they wouldn't want to be seen.

Now that he thought about it, was it even possible that they were still in the kingdom of Vale? They may have been wanted internationally but this was their home country. If there was a place they were going to be recognized than it would most likely be here. It would be a safer bet to sneak out and go somewhere they were less likely to be picked out of a crowd.

Vacuo was pretty popular with the tourist. That's where he would go if he was on the run. Then again...there was one flaw with this theory. His sisters were just as equally afflicted with motion sickness as he was. There was no way all six of them had gotten on a boat or airship and not caused a huge scene by barfing all over the place. And it's not like they were capable of flying one themselves due to their condition. Of course, he wasn't even sure if the swords were affected in the same way. He would think they would be since it was his sisters' body they were using but maybe they had some kind of mental fortitude against motion sickness?

He was getting no where with this pointless train of thought. What was important was that they knew his sisters weren't recruiting an army of criminals. At least not here in Vale they weren't. Even if it wasn't the clue they wanted, it was at least one thing they could mark off the list. Sooner or later they would narrow it down and find them.

"So if you don't mind me asking: Who is it you're looking for this time, Blondie?" Junior's curiosity apparently got the best of him and Yang wasn't exactly asking anymore questions at the moment.

"The Arc sisters, heard of them?" She asked that like there was someone that hadn't heard of them.

"Of course I've heard of them. Although I've never bothered learning what they look like." Junior scoffed, probably thinking the same thing Jaune was. "Why, they're the reason the Black Queen's plans went belly up in the first place. Hell, the rest of the underground was terrified that they were going to be the next on those girls' hit list. They had everyone 'bout shitting their pants." Those words, even if unintentional, made Jaune smile.

"Then those bitches went crazy and massacred that little village." And just like that, his smile was gone.

Yang didn't take kindly to the way he referred to them either and grabbed him forcefully by the tie before cocking one fist back in threat. "Don't you dare talk about them like that! There's people that care about them and if you disrespect them in front of me again I'll make it so you need a pair of dentures just to enunciate properly."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry and I take it back. Geez." Junior held up his arms in surrender and was leaning his face as far away from her fist as possible. Yang gave a small grunt of acceptance but it was still clear that she was annoyed when she shoved him back by the tie.

The way she got so mad for them made Jaune really happy though. Despite his doubts about Yang, he did know that she was someone that cared very much about family. As a sister herself she probably related strongly to the anger he had felt the moment Junior insulted them.

"What do you even care anyways? The whole world is looking for them already so it makes no difference whether or not you pitch in. Why're you after them?" Junior continued as he readjusted his tie.

"This here is their brother." Yang once again hiked a thumb in Jaune's direction and the behemoth man turned on him. At first, Jaune would've been intimidated by his gaze, but after the way Yang just handled him he didn't figure he had much to be worried about.

"They had a brother?" God damnit. Why did everyone always say that?

"I know, surprised me too." Don't agree with him! What the Hell!?

"I didn't even realize you were with someone. This kid is practically invisible." Well, it was nice to know he was still as unremarkable as ever. Whoo…

"Wait a second." Junior rubbed his beard and appeared to be trying to place Jaune's face.

"You recognize him after all?" Yang must have found his scrutinizing gaze funny because she broke out into a laugh. "Don't hurt that little head of yours, Junior. He was probably just in the back of some newspaper shot with his sisters."

"No, that's not it." Junior immediately disregarded her words. "I told you, I don't even know what those girls look like. I've never seen them in a newspaper, let alone him."

"Well, he is pretty average looking." Yet another brutal blow to his pride. "Probably just looks like some guy you crossed going down the road."

"Anybody looking for you…?" Junior ignored Yang altogether that time and instead talked directly to Jaune.

"Looking for me?" Jaune pointed at himself in disbelief. "I don't think so." Who could possibly be looking for him? Everyone at Domremy was dead. He had plenty of family outside of the village, but none that he was close to. The officials surely knew he was at Beacon because of the deal Ozpin made.

"Yeah…" Junior held his large hand out to the side and snapped his fingers several times. "Melanie! Militia! Didn't I see this kid's mug the other day?"

The white and red dressed girls from before walked back over, glancing him up and down. He felt very insecure being stared at in such a scrutinizing way and couldn't help but wonder if this was how animals at the zoo felt. After a couple seconds they both nodded.

"Yeah, it was just two days ago."

"It was those three girls."

They spoke in perfect symmetry with one another and that freaked Jaune out even more. Wait a second...did they say three girls?

"Ah!" Junior pointed a finger in the air as if he just finally figured it out. "Yeah, I remember now! I told them to buzz off and that I'd never seen such an unremarkable looking kid in my life." And there was the final nail in the coffin for his poor, battered pride.

"What girls?" Yang sprang to her feet with renewed curiosity. "What did they look like? Did they say if there were more?"

"Calm down, what's got your panties in a bunch?" Junior took a step back from her just as the twins began poking him in the shoulder.

"What?" They pointed into the crowd and he followed their gaze.

"Well what do you know? There they are now." He gestured broadly in the same direction the twins had just been pointing.

Time froze for Jaune.

The loud music that had been destroying his eardrums was muted and the strobing lights no longer stunned his eyes. Everyone else in the world melted away as he got off his stool and took several uneasy steps forward.

Three girls were standing not even twenty feet away from him. The glyphs on his hands ached and he knew they were resonating.

Those three girls standing in the exact same club as he was...were Joan, Olivia, and Ciel.

He had finally found his sisters.

Or rather...they had found him.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Prompt for the Omake requested by Elfzero

* * *

 **Omake 08**

 _The Week After_

* * *

"Big brother!" Rouge called as she paced around the house, looking for the one and only male sibling in their family.

It had been one week ago today that she had found out she was compatible with the last of the Seven Sacred Arc Swords, Fia Vesta, and she barely got to see him since then. It was almost like he was avoiding her and she hated the idea of him not wanting to see her.

Jaune was always so kind to her and Autumn. Unlike her other older siblings, he never had to train with one of the swords and so he always had lots of free time to spend with her. Whatever they wanted to do and whenever they wanted to do it, he would drop anything that he had going on and immediately give them his undivided attention.

She really liked that. It made her feel really special. Now that she had her own sword though she was expected to train with the rest of them and Violet was a strict instructor. Under her tutelage though, Rouge was already steadily improving. At first she could only produce a small flicker of flame with her sword. Now she could produce enough flame to boil a pot of water.

That made her proud and all of her sisters were quick to congratulate her on the progress she had made. Yet in the end it all felt a little hollow if Jaune wasn't there to celebrate with her. So she grabbed Fia Vesta and was now in search of him but to no avail.

"He's not here right now, Rouge." The young girl stopped and turned around to see Violet standing just behind her, leaning on the wall. Her orange eyes were staring up at the clock and not directly at her but for some reason the look she held in them made her uncomfortable.

"I don't understand. Where did big brother go?" He never left the house. At least not that Rouge was aware of. Was that also why he hadn't been showing up for dinner lately?

"He's at our uncle's right now. Jaune is...well, he needs help and our uncle is the best one to give it to him." Violet crouched down so she was at Rouge's height and looked her directly in the eyes.

"Why can't we help him? Big brother always helps me."

"It's...not something we can fix. Jaune underwent an important family ritual last week." Last week? The same time she got her sword then? "Uncle went through the same thing when he was Jaune's age. So he's helping Jaune figure some things out."

"The family ritual hurt him?" The more she heard the more confused she got. Why would hurting Jaune be important for the family?

"It did." Was Violet's only response.

Rouge clenched the handle of Fia Vesta tightly. She didn't know what to make of what Violet was telling her. Jaune was hurt...and somehow Rouge felt like she was partially responsible for that.

The older girl sighed and gently jostled her hair. "Don't make that face, Rouge. Jaune...he wasn't hurt because of you." How did she know that was what she was thinking? "This was something that was always going to happen. Whether you had ended up compatible with Fia Vesta or not."

Just as Violet finished talking, the two of them heard the front door open. Everyone was home as far as Rouge knew so that meant it could only be one person…

"Big brother!" She turned on her heels and ran for the entrance to the house. She didn't hear Violet follow after but didn't pay it much mind. She was just so excited to be able to see Jaune again.

She rounded the corner and nearly stumbled right into him, catching herself at just the last possible moment. "Whoa, slow down there Rouge." Jaune gave her a huge grin. "What's got you so excited?"

She waited for him to reach his hand forward and rub her hair. It was something he always did whenever he greeted her. For some reason though, the sign of affection never came and she tilted her eyes curious down to his hands.

Both of them were wrapped tight in mostly white bandages. She described them as mostly white because splotches of the wraps were dyed red with blood. Every so often one of his fingers would twitch and they looked to be at least constantly shaking ever so slightly. "Big brother...your hands…" Is this what Violet meant when she said they hurt him?

How was this important to the family? There was no way causing this much harm to someone could be beneficial to anybody. She refused to believe that.

"Ah, these things?" Jaune held them up and the air and waved them in a dismissive manner. "Don't worry about 'em. They'll get better in no time. Dad says when they do, I'll have some scars that ladies would kill to look at. Apparently they find battle scars attractive or something. Sounds weird to me, but whatever."

As he talked, Rouge reached forward and grabbed the hem of his shirt between two of her fingers. Her vision blurred out of focus as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Ah…" Jaune gave an airy sigh and she felt him place the palm of his hand against the back of her head. "Don't cry, Rouge. I'm alright, really. I got these scars so I can help you."

"Help me…?" How was having such a horrible thing done to him going to help her?

"Yeah, you see. These scars let me fight evenly with the Seven Sacred Arc Swords. So if anyone ever steals your sword from you...come tell me. I'll go beat their butts for you and if I can I'll bring your sword back." She looked back up to his face and despite her distorted vision she could tell he was smiling brightly at her and flexing one of his arms.

"You mean it?" She felt like he should blame her for having those scars, yet he looked kind of happy.

"Of course I mean it. I'm your big brother. If anyone is ever mean to you, I'll always come running to back you up. You have my word." Before he even finished talking she stepped forward and wrapped him tightly in a hug. "Man, what's gotten into you today?"

"I love you, big brother." That was the only thing she could think to say right now.

He continued to rub her head, although she could tell it was more gently than he usually did. "Yeah. I love you too, Rouge."


	13. Bar Fight

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Bar Fight_

* * *

What were three of his sisters doing here right now?

If what Junior said was true than they were looking for him. But why though? If anything it made more sense for them to want and stay as far away from him as possible. Unless of course...they were still trying to recruit him. Did they believe he would switch to their side now?

"People are going to start thinking you're a siscon if you just stand there ogling us like that, you know?" Joan, or maybe he should refer to her as Crocea Mors, snapped him out of his thoughts. It was confusing. She was without a doubt his twin sister in body. She wore Beacon's school uniform and had the same scraggly blonde hair he did. Yet this person was clearly different.

He took another step towards them when Olivia, or Viridis Teresa, raised a hand and placed it on the hilt of her sword...which was also Viridis Teresa. It was going to get confusing trying to separate their identities like that. "Not another step closer, bro. We don't want any accidents happening."

He clenched his hands tightly together. The glyphs were resonating strongly, almost as if they could sense how badly he wanted to break the swords. "I am not your brother." He muttered through clenched teeth.

"Of course you are." Ciel, or Glacies Inferno, stood with one hand on her hip, the other flipping her dagger into the air and catching it. "We're related by blood after all. Isn't that right, Joan?"

"Don't you just use her name!" He gave a shout that put all three of them on edge. If he wasn't careful he was going to trigger them into attacking and there was no way he could handle three swords at once. For now it was just better to talk it out. "Her name is Crocea Mors. Right now, she isn't Joan. You're not Olivia. And you sure as Hell aren't Ciel." He looked them each in the eye as he said this.

Joan gave a loud laugh. "Bro does bring up a good point. I'm not exactly the Joan he used to know." After saying this she wiped her mouth and her lips settled in a frown. "However...I am the new Joan. I am no longer some soul stuffed in a sword. I have a body of my own now so I want a name fitting of that body. So from now on, call me Joan."

"Ah, I wish I had a name like Joan. Olivia is a little bland, don't you think?" She fiddled with her green hair disparagingly and pouted.

This made Ciel chuckle. "If you prefer, we could always call you by the name our originator gave you. Not that sword name those Arc idiots made up for glory. How about it, En-"

"Don't you dare refer to me by that title. I'm not some fragment." Olivia's purple eyes darkened as she glared at the girl standing next to her.

"Fine, fine. Sheesh, don't glower at me like that." Ciel gave her a cheeky grin before turning it back on Jaune. "We have more important business right now than worrying about that. You all had something you wanted to say to Jaune, right?"

Jaune grimaced as his eyes darted all over them, looking for some opening or weakness. Despite that they were just bantering like they didn't have a care in the world their guard hadn't once dropped. If he charged in he would get torn to pieces in under a second. This would be another story is there was only two swords in front of him. He needed to bide his time, find the right moment to act. "So...what business did you have with me? I already told Ostrum Tempus I have no interest in joining you."

To this Joan snorted. "Unlike Ostrum Tempus and Mortem Caligo-" So she still referred to those two by their sword names? "-the four of us have grown rather fond of having bodies of our own. We have no interest in letting you run around trying to break us. It's bad enough you killed Rouge."

"I freed Rouge."

"Fia Vesta was the new Rouge!" Joan cut him off. "And you killed her before she had a chance to even truly start to live!"

Ah, he got it now. "So then... you're here to kill me?" And apparently against the wishes of Violet and Amethyst's swords.

"You shouldn't look at it that way." Olivia pointed an accusing finger towards him. "You're the one trying to kill us. We're merely acting in self-defense." That was pretty funny coming from a sword that helped massacre an entire town.

"You...said 'four of us'." No matter how he looked at it, only three of them were here. "Luteus Oblido is after me as well?" If he was right, she must be outside, probably somewhere high. If he so much as tried to leave the building she would snipe him with her lightning.

"Speaking of _Autumn_ -" Joan was particularly clear to stress the use of her name. "-She had quite the hard time tracking you down. For some reason, we couldn't detect your Aura until tonight. Where exactly have you been hiding?"

"..." So that was why they had relied on Junior to see if they could find him. Beacon, or someone at Beacon, was capable of blocking out Aura seekers. It was entirely possible they would have raided the school by now if they had known that was where he was. This was also the first time he had left since being admitted to the grounds. They had found him rather quickly from then, which meant they might be desperate.

"Haven't we talking enough already? I'm tired of all this waiting…" Olivia flicked her green hair and took a half step towards him. As she did his whole body tensed for battle. He was ready to kick off at her before she had a chance to use her illusions.

A rather firm hand rested on his shoulder. "Wow! Now this is a tense reunion!" Yang grinned cheekily at them all as she stepped next to Jaune. "Joan! You're looking beautiful as ever! Haven't thrown up on anyone else's shoes recently, have you?"

"..." All three sisters gave Yang an incredulous look. The tension between the four of them had been so thick it was like no one else was a part of their world until she forcibly threw herself in.

"Yang!" Jaune hissed out of the corner of his mouth. "What are you doing?"

"Buying time...help is on the way. I hope." She did the same before turning her attention back on his sisters. "What's the matter, Joan? Don't tell me you forgot who I am?"

All sets of eyes turned to the youngest Arc sister present.

For just a split second, her face contorted in a scowl. It disappeared so fast though it might have even just been an illusion and instead a bright smile took its place. "Yang! I didn't even notice you there. How have you been?"

"Oh, you know. Pretty good. I was a little disappointed when you didn't come back this year. Who else am I supposed to tease if you aren't around?" She did know this wasn't actually Joan she was chatting with, right? Of course she did, he had to believe that. She was just doing what she originally said and buying time.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Something came up." And fortunately for them, Joan was buying into it. For whatever reason, the other swords still weren't moving either.

"So I've heard." The hand on his shoulder patted him rather roughly. "Your bro here told me all about it. Speaking of which, I'm a little hurt. Why didn't you tell me you had an adorable twin brother?"

The smile on Joan's face twitched. "It's not like it was ever very important, was it? He wasn't someone you were ever going to meet." Well, that kind of stung. Even if he knew it wasn't Joan saying that, it was still her voice that had been used.

Yang's own cheery disposition faded and her grip on his shoulder tightened, just enough to be comforting. "He's talked plenty about you. Plenty about all of you." She gestured to the others as well. "You're all incredibly important to him. Isn't it weird then, that I had never even heard of him?"

"Yang..." What was she trying to prove right now by asking them these questions? He didn't know but the implications of them were starting to make him angry.

"Like I care what the old Joan was thinking when she chose not to talk about her worthless brother." Damn, could she seriously not say it like that? "The fact that you're here with him right now must mean...he's been hanging out at Beacon?"

Ciel snapped her fingers. "It makes sense now! No wonder Autumn couldn't track him."

"Who even cares? Why are we still talking like we're reminiscing with old buddies?" Olivia was starting to get really impatient and he wasn't sure they could stall for much longer than this. She brought up a curious point though.

"Why are we even having this talk at all? The three of you came here to kill me, right?" It would have made more sense for them to hide using Olivia's illusions and just kill him before he was even aware they were there at all. The only reason he knew they weren't hiding behind an illusion right now was because his glyphs weren't glowing in reaction.

Ciel shrugged at his question. "I suppose you could call it something like sentimentality? Whether you knew it or not, we've been watching over you and your sisters your whole lives. It didn't feel right to kill you without having at least one conversation. That's all this is."

Just wanted to talk? Sentimentality? It almost made him sick that these swords could use those words. "What about everyone in Domremy? Was there a reason you had to kill all them!? What about our parents!? Did you talk to them before murdering them too!? You, Crocea Mors, you used to be my dad's sword! And you don't feel anything about that?"

"Is it really so odd for a sword to take the life of another person?" Joan placed a hand on her hip. "Your father used me to steal many lives. It should have been me that got to take his, but Ostrum Tempus insisted that Violet had more cause than the rest of us."

"Just because you're a sword doesn't mean you have to kill someone!"

"Why don't you look in a mirror and try saying that again, Glyph Bearer!" He recoiled as if he'd been slapped. His whole life he had been raised to believe his one and only purpose was to protect the Seven Sacred Arc Swords and by extension his sisters. So maybe it was hypocritical of him to blame a sword for doing the only thing it knew how? Even if it was, that didn't change anything.

They were still going to try to kill him and he was still going to try and break them.

Right now though it was three vs two. He and Yang didn't stand even a fraction of a chance with these odds. Holding out for reinforcements was their best bet but it would take too long for anyone from Beacon to get here before fighting inevitably broke out. He had to come up with some kind of strategy that kept them inside the building or they would be contending with Autumn too.

"Alright, I think I've heard enough." Junior stepped in between both parties and hefted a giant metallic club over his shoulder. He hadn't been holding that a second ago. Jaune's eyes darted around the room and saw most of the indistinguishable goons running amok, getting into position for the showdown that they knew was about to occur. Even the twins, Melanie and Miltia were on guard and ready for battle. The only question now was...would they even take his side in this conflict? Or were they going to just attack both parties involved indiscriminately?

"I'm going to have to ask you ladies to leave. My club doesn't need any unnecessary trouble." Junior pointed the bat directly at the sisters but they didn't so much as flinch.

"You don't need trouble? I think you're in the wrong business if you don't want any trouble." Olivia gave a small laugh but stopped almost immediately when Ciel placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll be happy to leave. No undue damages need to be done here. The kid behind you is coming with us though." Junior turned his head and glanced at Jaune and Yang out of his peripherals. Jaune remained planted firmly in place. Going outside was the last thing he would do. He did feel bad for Junior and his club, but right now he couldn't be concerned about collateral damage. His sisters needed him.

Junior gave an exhausted sigh. "This kid is a customer right now. You see that drink behind him? It's his. Last I checked you ladies didn't order anything. Which means you have no right to be here. Now scram and let him finish his drink."

Ciel tilted her head and gave a sickeningly sweet smile. "...Wrong answer."

Everything exploded into action at once.

Junior's bat expanded into a bazooka that launched a rocket.

Ice sprout from the tip of Ciel's dagger to shield her.

Melanie and Militia sprinted forward, their blades slicing through the air.

A barrier activated in front of Joan as she drew her sword and deployed the shield.

Olivia appeared to vanish altogether as bullets rained from all sides, being fired by Junior's thugs.

Jaune's glyph began to glow.

 _Neow_

Olivia's illusion was shattered before the real her could even hide.

Meanwhile, he spun around, wrapped his arm around Yang's stomach and dove over the bar, dragging her with him.

"What the Hell?" She yelled as they tumbled over the side of the counter, barely dodging the poorly aimed bullets that flew over their heads. They collapsed to the ground in a heap and immediately struggled to a crouch, peeking over the top so they could watch the chaos unfold. "...You better have a good reason for dragging me away from that."

"We need strategy." Without it, his sisters would rip them all apart. Which was pretty much already happening.

Joan's barrier formed like a glass pane. It could only protect a flat surface in one direction of her choosing. The problem was, her shield was absorbing the dust bullets being fired from other directions. Not to mention it had likely been absorbing the energy from the strobing lights and pulsing music. Who knew how much had been converted to a light wave for her to use?

The henchmen dropped left and right as long icicles crystallized right out of thin air all around Ciel before firing at wicked speeds and piercing their skulls with deadly accuracy.

Olivia's giant claymore was practically as tall as she was and it collided with Junior's bat, creating a loud clang that echoed over all the other noise.

Melanie and Militia sprint around Joan's barrier on either end and lunged at her. Joan blocked Melanie's bladed heel with her shield and halted Militia's claws with her sword. The blade of Crocea Mors glowed bright with golden energy before discharging in a wave that bowled Militia out of the way. The henchmen behind her weren't so lucky as the energy scorched through their weaker Aura, disintegrating them and causing them to burst into fragments of light.

At least a dozen henchmen ran at Ciel all at once, waving batons around like amateurs. The second they got within five feet of her, a dome of blue energy pulsed over them, flash-freezing them instantly. The ice around their bodies contorted and grew, taking on the shape of Beowolves. Ciel inhaled deeply before giving a large breath. The Ice Beowolves shifted and creaked as the joints snapped and they began moving as if alive.

The Beowolves scattered across the club with impossible quickness and began slicing more men to ribbons, spraying blood everywhere. Even the patrons that had just been clubbing were inevitably drawn into the conflict, none of them fast enough to make it to the door.

Jaune grit his teeth. This was Domremy all over again. For now it was contained to this club but if it escalated outside then the whole city could get wrapped up in this mess. He had to shatter the swords as quickly as possible. "Yang...you need to get angry. As angry as you can."

"I already am." Helplessly sitting on the sides and watching others get slaughtered clearly didn't sit well with the blonde girl. Her eyes had transformed to a bloody red and hair was alight and flickering with heat. That was good.

"Produce as much fire as possible and keep Glacies distracted. If you cool down for even a second, back off. She'll turn you into a popsicle if your Semblance doesn't keep you heated enough." He didn't like this option, but Yang was the only one that could get close without being killed instantly. Even so, Ciel was a fully trained Huntress and Yang was only in her second year at Beacon. She wouldn't last long either, it would just be longer than others.

"And you?" That was a good question. Joan was in front of him right now and would be the easiest sister to disable. Going for the easiest target made the most sense. He had to cut down their forces as quickly as possible. However, he had promised Pyrrha that he would let them try.

That promise...wasn't worth his sisters' lives.

If the opportunity was opened, he wouldn't hesitate to break Crocea Mors. Unless that happened though- "I'm going after Teresa. Her illusions are the most troublesome thing right now." She could only create a new illusion every twenty-five seconds. That was five seconds shorter than his glyph cooldown but he had two of those. If he timed it right he could shatter her illusion and would have a twenty-five second gap to break her sword.

He was going to have to be faster than that though if he wanted to minimize the casualties.

"Then let's go already!" Yang cleared the bar in a single hop.

"Wait! My glyph hasn't recharged yet!" Too late. Yang was already charging across the room and right at Ciel.

Ciel's dagger was a curved blade with a serrated back. Normally she waved it around more like a wand as she conjured up all kinds of different formations by freezing the moisture in the air. However, even though she almost never used it to physically slice into people that didn't mean she wasn't capable of it.

The air around Ciel flash-froze again but the heat radiating off Yang's Aura burned right through it. If Ciel was caught off guard by her natural resilience, she did a good job not showing it. Instead she effortlessly twirled the dagger around and held it upside down to block Yang's swinging fist.

Ember Celica and Glacies Inferno collided, the former letting out a shell discharge from the sudden halt. Even at point blank range Ciel dodged out of the way with the slightest twist of the body. Her dagger twirled around again as she spun behind Yang and stabbed at her from behind.

Yang ducked low and the dagger just missed, grazing her hair and lopping strands of it off. The stands fell in front of her face and the moment her eyes locked in on them an eruption of flames burst off Yang's entire being as her hair radiated with pure golden energy. She spun on Ciel and threw a wild haymaker that the older girl barely dodged before immediately creating distance between them so she could produce more ice without the interference of Yang's heat.

Maybe he wouldn't have to worry about her too much after all? Better safe than sorry though. He jumped over the counter and looked to where Junior and Olivia were battling. Both glyphs were active which meant Olivia's illusions were working.

The glyph under the wraps on his left hand began glowing brightly.

 _Neow_

With the sound of glass shattering he destroyed her illusion just in time for Junior to realize he had been bashing in his own henchmen and not actually fighting Olivia at all. She must have created that illusion at least fifteen seconds ago which meant she only had another ten before she could again.

"Looking for me?" He stopped hard and spun around. That was when he made the fatal mistake of staring right into Olivia's dark purple eyes. She was standing on top of the bar counter he had just slipped over, not even five feet away from him.

Fear overtook his heart and locked his legs in place, keeping him from moving. He knew not to make this mistake! He knew that! Looking Olivia in the eyes when her illusions were down was a guaranteed way to get ensnared. She couldn't move either while utilizing this Semblance and had to maintain eye contact. She had allies though.

"Joan! Ciel! He can't move! Finish him!" Damn. He couldn't turn around but with his peripherals he saw golden energy surge behind him and to the right. Joan's attack was going to kill him. He was a sitting duck.

"Not so fast!" A rocket from Junior's bazooka flew past his head and right towards Olivia. She was forced to break eye-contact and jump out of the way. The rocket hit the wall behind her and the explosion sent her tumbling off the counter and onto the floor.

Jaune didn't even turn around. He didn't have the time. Instead he raised his right hand behind him and just held it suspended in the air. The glowing glyph surged brightly as Joan's light-wave made contact.

 _Neow_

The light vanished without a trace and he sprinted at Olivia who was still prone. He had twenty seconds before he could use another glyph. That wasn't perfect but it would have to do. Olivia was still struggling to her feet and had only succeeded in getting to her knees when he reached her and lashed out with a knee to the chin.

His knee made contact but almost immediately he realized it wasn't with a person. It felt more like he struck wood, likely a stool. He was trapped in another one of her illusions. He immediately looked at the broadside of her sword.

Viridis Teresa was a giant claymore with a mirror for the broadside. The only prerequisites she had when creating illusions were two things. The victim's mind had to be able to accept it as a reality. This meant she just couldn't submerge you in the ocean or make you think you fell into a volcano for the simple reason that it was an impossible scenario.

The other was that the sword had to exist within the illusion. And the broadside of the sword, the mirror, always reflected reality. It was the one and only flaw of her illusions.

He stared into the claymore's mirror and just behind him saw the real Olivia swinging the sword horizontally, aiming to cut him in half at the waist.

He ducked to a crouch and the sword flew over him. He then pivot and lashed out in a roundhouse kick. As he turned away from the sword he lost sight of the real Olivia but felt his foot make contact with her cheek. By coming into contact with the user he broke the illusion without the need to use a Glyph charge. Olivia appeared just as he finished delivering the kick and she was sent flying sideways.

Ten seconds until he could use a glyph.

He took two running steps towards Olivia who had crashed into a table and knocked it over. He stopped short as a ray of light caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. A thin beam flew right in front of him and where he would have been if he had taken one more step.

He whirled to see Melanie and Militia laying at Joan's feet. Crocea Mors was pointed right at him, covered in a golden glow as she prepared to launch another beam of light his way. Junior swung at her from the side but one of her indestructible barriers formed to the side and kept him at bay.

Five seconds on the glyph.

"Gyah!" Yang gave a cry of pain and he saw one of Ciel's Beowolves blindside her with a swipe while she had been fighting her. She collapsed to a heap and his sister stepped over her. If he was going to save her he had to forget about Olivia for a second.

So instead he pumped Aura into the soles of his feet, greatly dwindling its protective properties to the rest of his body. Joan fired another beam right at him. He vanished in a blur of yellow and charged right at the beam. She hadn't expected him to make a direct charge and had used a pinpoint beam instead of a large wave.

Because of that miscalculation on her part he easily dodged the beam by ducking to the side and running right past it. Joan's blue eyes widened in shock and she switched her barrier to directly in front of her. She deflected Junior's bat with her shield but that distraction was the only opportunity Jaune needed.

He had no intention of attacking Joan from the front. He blurred by her and the barrier, unleashing the Aura in his right foot the second he was past. The Aura pushed backwards, locking him in place and stopping him dead in his tracks. Before he had even come to a complete stop he was already twirling his whole body, building off the momentum he created.

He delivered a high-powered spinning kick right into Joan's unprotected ribs. The Aura around his foot softened the blow and instead reflected off her own Aura. However, it caused the tension from the Aura in his foot to explode outwards, rocketing Joan across the room and right at Ciel.

She slammed into several tables and multiple chairs on the way, sending them flying into the air, before she finally crashed into their older sister who had been raising her dagger to finish Yang off. The two of them flew backwards another several feet before collapsing into one of Ciel's Ice Beowolves, shattering it apart and finally halting their progress.

They fell on the floor in a tangle of limbs as Yang got back to her feet. "I owe you one!" She rolled her shoulders and he could see blood trailing down the side of her face but otherwise she seemed unharmed.

"Kid! Look out!" Junior ran around the side of Jaune and swung his club just in time to save him from Olivia's overhead swing.

 _Neow_

One of the glyphs that had been reactivated destroyed the illusion and Junior stumbled forward when no one was really there.

He turned to see Olivia standing where he had left her, nurturing the cheek he had kicked. "...I'm not going to lie. I thought you would go down much easier than this." She was probably trying to stall for time until she could create another illusion.

He wouldn't give her that chance.

Her thinking wasn't very surprising though. Jaune had nearly been killed several times by Rouge alone. However, he had been caught-off guard by her first attack and had allowed himself to get injured. He also hadn't been positive about breaking the sword until after he witnessed it kill others. Then when he fought Violet he still hadn't recovered. Now though, he had no second guesses about what he was doing.

"Unforgivable." Joan and Ciel had both gotten back to their feet, the former glowering at him fiercely.

Yang was wisely backing off. Even she must have understood how insane it would be to take on two of his sisters at once. All of the henchmen were down along with Melanie and Militia. The patrons that hadn't been killed had fled.

It was down to three on three.

"You would dare kick your twin like that!?" Joan shrieked at the top of her lungs, Crocea Mors glowing brightly with golden energy.

Damn, if she fired a wave with that much energy he was going to have to forget about Olivia for a second. That sword was trouble and he only had one glyph active right now. Twenty seconds until the other came back up.

He might have to break it first after all.

First though he had to make it in front of Yang so he could destroy that light wave before it hit her. He had to buy time to do that. "I'll apologize to Joan after I shatter you into pieces!" As he talked he turned towards her, careful to leave Junior between himself and Olivia so she couldn't catch him with a sneak attack.

"I already told you! I'm the new Joan!" She pointed the sword towards the ceiling. His eyes widened in fear. The golden wave fired in a powerful blast that struck the ceiling and ripped it apart, causing the rest of the building to break along with it and pieces of debris to begin raining down.

"Not my club!" He ignored Junior's distressed wail.

Right now there was only one thing on his mind. He had to make it to Yang. He couldn't shatter collateral damage even if it was caused by the swords. She seemed to have the same idea and was already running right at him.

One of the Beowolves leapt at her from the side and she destroyed it with a simple jab. He reached her not a second later. Shards of ice were flying from behind and he tackled her to the ground.

As he began to push off she pointed upwards. "Above us!"

Neither had any more time to move as the building came down all around them.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Prompt for Omake supplied by Volcaniclord.

* * *

 **Omake 09**

 _Funeral_

* * *

Funerals weren't by their nature a very happy event.

This went without saying of course. However, Violet didn't like the implications of this particular funeral, not one bit. Their uncle had passed away. He had been their dad's brother. It had started off slow at first, but over the past couple years his health had begun to deteriorate more and more rapidly until he finally passed away just the other night.

Violet was nineteen years old, and if there was one thing she had learned not to put faith in over those nineteen years then it was coincidences. There was just no way...this lined up almost too perfectly. It had been five years ago exactly. Their uncle died exactly five years to the day that Rouge had discovered she was compatible with Fia Vesta. More importantly, it was exactly five years after Jaune had the glyphs inscribed onto the bones of his hands.

Their uncle had also been a glyph bearer. He was one of three brothers. Violet's father had been the wielder of Crocea Mors and their other uncle had at one point been the wielder of her katana, Ostrum Tempus. Only two of the swords had been in use last generation yet that was enough for them to brand a new bearer.

Violet had never really talked much with their uncle. Jaune, however, he had been really close to him. As two people that had experienced the exact same pain, they understood one another on a level no one else in the world was capable of. He was devastated by his death and Violet had never seen her brother cry so hard her whole life.

Family had always been really important to Jaune. It made sense, he was raised to believe that it was his job to the protect the Arc family and their legacy by safeguarding the swords. Violet had never realized how deep-rooted his love was though until she held him while he sobbed himself to sleep. Yet at the same time she couldn't help but wonder if it was more than that. Had he realized it too and come to the same conclusion she had?

Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe there really was no connection between the two events. There was only one way to find out though. So she decided to seek out the one man that could answer her questions.

"Father...we need to talk." Violet still hadn't forgiven him for what had happened. For maiming her precious little brother. She doubted she ever would. The only time she interacted with him after had been during sword training. That had ended when Joan inherited Crocea Mors from him and he was forced to retire as a Huntsmen. Since then, she almost never spoke with him. To get her answers though, she would make an exception.

"Violet." Her father turned away from the group of relatives he had been intermingling with. He gave a tired sigh when he saw the stern expression on her face and placed a big palm on her shoulder. "I figured this was coming. Follow me this way."

He pushed lightly and led her to a corner of the funeral hall where no one else was standing. The fact that he knew this was coming though, it almost verified what she knew even without her having to ask. This was no longer a conversation they had to have. Yet for Jaune's sake she felt the need to have it anyways.

"It wasn't a coincidence, was it?" She asked once she was positive no one else was within ear shot.

Another tired sigh. "No...it wasn't." No wonder he didn't appear distraught. His own brother had just passed away and it didn't look like her father was affected at all. As if he had long come to terms with the knowledge that this would happen. "...Did you ever think it was odd? That there was only ever one glyph bearer at a time? Or that the Arcs continued to brand one every generation?"

"I thought it was odd every day since you stuck that knife into my little brother's hands five years ago." She answered with a venomous bite.

"I know you resent me for doing what I had to do-"

" _Had to do_?!" Unintentionally her voice raised a couple volumes and several of their family members glanced over at them. "No one put a gun to your head and told you to maim your only son! You and everyone else in this family are just so stuck in the past you can't even see how messed up this whole scenario is! Do you have any idea how modern society would react if they knew we continued such a barbaric practice!?"

"Don't talk to me that way!" He nearly shouted back and several people moved even further away from them. Out of the corner of her eye she could see some of her sisters take notice of their argument. "No matter what you think of me, I am still your father!"

"Heh, some father you are." Violet scoffed at his claim, not breaking eye contact or giving even an inch of ground to his intense stare. "Valuing outdated traditions over your own son...and apparently your own brother too."

"He knew what would happen the moment you became compatible with one of the swords. I told you, every generation there's a wielder we need a new glyph bearer. Even if it hadn't been Jaune it would be another one of your sisters. It was just unlucky that Jaune hadn't been chosen by one of the swords." Unlucky!? He dared to use that word to her face? Her hand clenched together so tightly she had to hold back one arm with the other to keep from punching him right in the face.

"So inscribing the glyphs on Jaune killed our uncle?" Instead she managed to force those words out between clenched teeth.

"It did." He said that without remorse. "We don't know why, but ever since the beginning there can only be one glyph bearer. Without fail, after we inscribed the glyphs on a new generation the previous bearer dies five years to the day. It's an inevitable fact."

"Why then? Why insist on marking a new one every generation? Can't we just mark someone after the last bearer dies? Can't we at least do that?" Marking anyone at all was ridiculous, but it was just so much worse that they knew doing it while the previous bearer was alive was going to kill them.

"We can't let our guard down. Our enemies could just be waiting for the moment there isn't a glyph bearing guarding the swords."

"Let our guard down? Enemies? Do you even hear yourself? The world is at peace right now. We have no enemies."

"Not that we know of. The fact that none of them have ever shown themselves to try and steal the swords though could be because they fear the glyph bearers. So long as we have one in circulation, no one will dare even make a move on the swords because they know it'll just get destroyed."

"Is that all Jaune is to you? A theft deterrent?" A theft deterrent worth the price of his own brother's life. "It was bad enough that you hurt him physically. Do you know how broken emotionally he is going to be now too? He blames himself for uncle's death!"

"He's my son. Even if it hurts now, what's happened to him and my brother is for the best of the family. And what's best for this family is also good for the world. It's through the power of the Seven Sacred Arc Swords that our family not only turned the tides of war but saved countless cities from the Grimm. It is the job of the sword wielders to protect the world and the job of the glyph bearer to protect the sword wielders. That's how it has always been."

Violet grit her teeth. If they were so supposed to protect the world and Jaune was supposed to protect them then who was the one protecting him? She couldn't listen to this anymore. She had heard everything she needed and anything else would just make her more mad. "I'm leaving back for Beacon tomorrow morning. Don't bother talking to me again."

"Violet!" She didn't even pay his call any heed and turned on her heel, purple ponytail whipping violently as she strolled away from him.

"Been a long time since I've seen you this angry." She stopped hard and turned to look at the sister closest to her in age.

"Amethyst." For once her usual headphones weren't covering her ears and instead sat wrapped around her neck. "How much did you hear?"

"Most of it, although I don't think the others did. I had Ciel distract them for you." Amethyst's red eyes flickered back to their father and for a brief moment even her gaze darkened. "...So what are you going to do now?"

Violet clicked her teeth. "What can I do? It's been too late to change anything the moment I failed to save Jaune's hands in time."

"I've never known you to give up before. The rest of our younger sisters look up to you. If even you don't have an answer, what are they supposed to do?"

"What do you want from me?!" Violet stomped her foot on the ground. "No matter what I do it won't change what's happened! Jaune's hands won't get fixed and our uncle won't be brought back!"

"Quit worrying about the past and start thinking about the future!" Amethyst gestured widely to the casket at the back of the hall. "If we don't change something then the next person in that casket is going to be Jaune!"

Violet's eyes widened. Amethyst was exactly right. If they didn't change their family's tradition, then one day it would be Jaune that would get killed by the glyphs in his hands because someone in the next generation was chosen. There was only one way to prevent that.

"Then...let's create a world that no longer needs these swords."

Amethyst quirked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah. The Seven Sacred Arc Swords are the most powerful blades in existence. And for the first time ever, all seven of them have a compatible wielder. If we all combine our power, we could do anything. Maybe even destroy the Grimm once and for all."

"A world without Grimm…" Amethyst rested a couple fingers on her chin. "...if they didn't exist there certainly wouldn't be a need for these swords anymore. And if there's no need for the swords…"

"Then there's no need for a glyph bearer." Violet finished with a confident nod.

"It won't be easy." Amethyst turned and looked across the room. Jaune was sound asleep, his head resting on Joan's shoulder. "It might even be impossible with the amount of time we have."

"It's for our younger brother." Violet clenched her hands. "If it's for him…"

"Ah, don't say anymore. I got it already." Amethyst gave a small nod before walking up and placing a hand on Violet's shoulder. "I'm with you all the way."

Their voices overlapped. "Let's protect our brother."


	14. Divide and Conquer

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Divide and Conquer_

* * *

 _Drip Drip Drip_

Yang stared above her with wide lilac eyes. Junior's club had collapsed all around them and large hunks of concrete and steel frames had fallen right for her. She should have been crushed, or at the very least, her Aura should have been put through the grinder.

 _Drip Drip_

Instead she was perfectly fine, almost not a scratch on her save from when she had been struck by one of those Ice Beowolves. The same couldn't be said for the boy standing over her. "Hey...you alright?" He asked with a ragged cough.

 _Drip Drip_

Blood oozed out from the top of his blonde hair and rolled down his chin before splashing on Yang's cheek. The fallen debris rested on his shoulders and back of his head. His legs were spread wide and were visibly shaking from the strain of trying to hold up the broken rubble.

Despite all this, he still somehow found the strength to give her an encouraging smile. "If you are...a little help would be awesome right about now."

Those words finally kicked her into gear as she scrambled up to her feet. "You idiot!" She pushed up on the broken concrete block and it tumbled off of him. With the weight finally gone, his body automatically relaxed and he nearly collapsed forward. She caught him and his head rolled on her shoulder. "What the Hell were you thinking!?"

Why would he risk his life to protect her like that? He had to save his sisters didn't he? He shouldn't be worried about other people on top of them. He was the only one that could break their swords after all.

"I don't know...my body just kind of moved." He pushed off her but she held him steady. "Although if I think about it...I guess it's just because I don't want you to die."

Despite herself, Yang felt a small blush color her cheeks. "Come on, Lady Killer. We need to move." She began dragging him over the debris and back towards Bumblebee. This was no longer a battle the two of them could fight and his sisters were undoubtedly fine, if just trapped temporarily.

"All those people…" The two of them nearly slipped on a puddle of blood that leaked out from in between the broken rubble. Scattered limbs and bones were just visible beneath the shattered concrete blocks. "...they died because of me. My sisters tried to kill me and instead these people died."

"Shut up! Shut up right this second!" She yanked him hard, trying to steer his eyes away from all the death around him. He couldn't blame himself for this. These guys had always lived with a possibility of death the moment they chose this life. It wasn't anyone's fault that they died except for those stupid, evil swords.

They stumbled out what had once been the entrance and onto the unbroken pavement. Bumblebee was just in front of them now, parked on the side of the road. They were going to make it and get out of here. At least until their reinforcements arrived. That was the plan anyways. The moment they were only a couple steps away from Bumblebee a streak of orange lightning came out of seemingly nowhere and struck her precious bike. It exploded in a torrent of flames and the two teenagers were bowled backwards by the force of the blast.

"Bumblebee!" Yang shrieked as she tried to scramble back to her feet.

Her ears rang from the explosion and the edge of her vision was streaked with white. "Yang! Move!" Because of this, Jaune's voice was practically muted and she wasn't able to react to his call quickly enough. Instead she was rather forcibly shoved forward.

Jaune stopped where she had just been and held his wrapped hand up in the air. Another streak of lightning struck his glowing glyphs.

 _Neow_

The glyph destroyed the lightning like it had never even been there.

It was at that same moment a different beam of light, this time gold, flew at him from the right, which was also the hand that had just used a glyph. He wasn't able to spin around in time and instead took the full brunt of the lightwave. "Gyah!" He gave a cry of pain as the golden energy knocked him off his feet and sent him crashing to the ground. The wraps around his right hand shredded to pieces and hunks of his shirt tore but otherwise his Aura kept his skin from searing.

"Jaune!" Yang struggled back to her feet and he was already climbing back to his. Just how much Aura did this guy have to be able to keep getting back up like that? She took a running step at him but his glyph was glowing brightly again.

 _Neow_

The sound of glass shattering from behind caused her to whirl around just in time to see Olivia had been hiding behind her using an illusion. The giant claymore was already swinging down with the intent of splitting her in half vertically.

Yet again, she felt herself forcefully thrown out of the way as Jaune took the spot she had just been standing in. His hands flew above him and with a loud clap he caught the Claymore mere inches before it split his head open.

His leg twitched in what might have been the beginning of a kick but froze as Olivia's Semblance caused him to lock up in fear. He was completely prone to attack and Ciel's Ice Beowolves didn't waste the opportunity. One of them was on him before either of them had even realized they had broken free from the rubble and struck him in the left arm, shredding those wraps as well and knocking him off balance.

He barely twisted out of the way in time and Olivia's claymore slammed into the concrete, splitting it apart. "Get the Hell away from him!" Yang jumped in the air and cocked both fists back.

Olivia wisely skipped backwards but the three Beowolves that had run up on them weren't aware enough to retreat. Yang slammed both her fists into the ground and Ember Celica discharged a powerful heated blastwave that melted the Beowolves on the spot and sent hunks of concrete flying in all directions.

This time she caught the glimmer of orange and dove at Jaune who was still lying prone. She tackled into him and they rolled out of the way, barely dodging Autumn's lightning.

Damn. This was getting worse and worse by the second. All three of Jaune's sisters had stepped outside of the broken down building and she still had no idea where Autumn was even sniping at them from. Jaune's glyphs were down for how much longer she hadn't been keeping count.

"We should really be thanking you right now, Yang." Joan sounded absolutely giddy as she skipped towards them. "I know it must have been your idea to bring Jaune out here. If you hadn't done that, it may have taken us much longer to find him."

"Fuck you." Yang spit at the ground and lifted herself to a crouch, ready to jump at any given moment. Jaune was struggling up just next to her, fierce determination still in his eyes.

"Seriously though, if you hadn't been here, this might have gone much differently." Ciel continued, stalking around to the left while Joan remained directly in front of them.

"I actually thought I was done for when the building started to collapse." Olivia was still planted just to their right. "I didn't have any illusions and he had a glyph charge. Using the debris as a distraction he really might have killed me. Imagine my surprise though when he ran at you instead."

"Then you let yourself get distracted just because your bike broke!" Joan gave a loud laugh. "You should have seen your face as he kept shoving you out of the way while we got to wail on him!"

"A girl like you probably isn't used to being rendered helpless so you didn't know how to respond well in such a situation. Jaune has been a helpless little sheep his whole life though. Just look at those malformed hands of his." Ciel gestured to Jaune's now exposed scars but he made no move to hide them.

"You don't know anything about me!" Yang knew what it was like to be helpless. A brief image of her Uncle Qrow saving her and Ruby flashed past. She had worked impossibly hard since then to make sure such a thing would never be repeated. Yet they were right, she had been disoriented by their combined attacks and Jaune had to step up and protect her, not unlike Qrow in the past.

That ended now.

Eyes flashed red and hair lit back up in a golden glow as she allowed their words to fuel anger and increase the power of her Semblance. She lifted her fist and directed it right at Ciel. "And don't you say anything about Jaune! Using those hands of his, he's going to break you all and then we'll see who's laughing!"

The sisters said nothing in return but their jocular attitude was quickly replaced with silent fury. Yang couldn't help but grin in return and glanced once more at Jaune. He gave a small smile of his own as he took a spot next to her.

Sirens sounded down the street as blue and red lights flashed in the distance. The distant roar of a bullhead engine turned their necks to the sky. "Ciel, we're going to need some bigger support. Or we'll have the entire Vale military on us."

"Already way ahead of you." Ciel pointed her dagger down the street.

A mountain of ice erupted from the tip of her blade. The ice filled the street in only a second and it took Yang a second to realize she was only looking at a leg. Her eyes trailed up to the top, witnessing a creature that was easily ten stories high. In an instant Ciel had created a creature of unimaginable mass. It still held the shape of a Beowulf but she had never seen one even remotely this large. With a small breath by Ciel, it began to creak and move as if alive.

The foot next to them lifted and when it stepped down the entire earth shook from the force, nearly stumbling Jaune and Yang over. One small swing of its arms destroyed the side of several buildings at once and sent concrete raining down. The sirens in the distance silenced all at once.

A streak of orange lightning flew over their heads and they heard one of the bullheads that had been approaching explode, catching just a small glimpse of the flaming wreckage before it fell behind the rooftops. A moment later and they heard another explosion as it met the ground.

The city of Vale had just gotten sucked into this whole mess.

"Alrighty, girls! While they're distracted let's finish this and get outta here." Ciel twirled the dagger and pointed it back towards them. Joan's sword began glowing gold and she mimicked her older sister's action.

All three of them vanished as Olivia shielded them with an illusion.

 _Neow_

One of Jaune's glyphs shattered the illusion, but it had never been meant to obscure them more than that one second. A wave of light and ice was heading right for them. And Jaune only had one charge left now.

He and Yang nodded at one another as they swapped sides. He held his other hand up towards Joan's light attack while she swung both barrels of Ember Celica at Ciel's ice.

 _Neow_

The light vanished.

"Ha!" Yang gave a shout of exertion as both gauntlets discharged heated shots, gaining even more power from her Semblance in the process. The ice shattered apart halfway back to Ciel. She thought that had been enough to stop it.

That wasn't the case at all. The ice just continued right back at them, covering an incredibly vast area and the tips forming jagged spears that threatened to skewer them. "How much time on your glyphs!?"

"I only just used both charges!" Damn. Why did those things have such a ridiculous cooldown?

"This is just stupid!" Nothing to it but to do it than. She gave a shout of exertion and swung at the ice, shattering the spike closest to them. She then did it again and again, continuously beating back the nonstop attack that threatened to overwhelm her at any moment.

Just as she thought it was all going to come to an end, the ice bent and split around them. Yang nearly fell forward as her fists met with nothing but air.

For a moment Yang thought she got lucky and Ciel had decided to switch tactics at the last second. That thought disappeared as the ice melted all at once and flooded the street as harmless water. Yang hadn't even known Ciel could do that.

She glanced curiously at her...

...only to see absolute fury plastered across the older girl's face. It took another second to realize that her glare was directed behind them. "No one, _no one_ melts my ice. Especially not some old hag."

The sound of heels clicking behind them caused Jaune and Yang to spin around, eyes wide with relief as they laid upon their savior.

"Goodwitch!"

The blonde woman adjusted her glasses and gave a small smirk as she readied her riding crop. "I happened to hear about all the excitement from your younger sister, Miss Xiao Long. I provided them with the means of transportation and decided to oversee this particular operation personally."

"...But why?" Jaune was looking at her like she was one of Olivia's illusions. "I thought Ozpin wanted you protecting the school?"

"I would like to say that I'm doing my job by protecting the students that came out to fight...but this one is personal for me too." Glynda sent a stern glare at Ciel who all too eagerly returned it.

"You two...leave the Witch of Beacon to me." Ciel raised the dagger and pointed it right at Goodwitch who raised her riding crop back.

"We should take her on together, she's strong." Olivia readied her claymore.

"No! I'm enough for her! Just do whatever the Hell it is you wanted."

"You're just being lazy and don't wanna chase him around." Joan's sword began glowing gold again. Didn't that thing ever run out of energy? Just how much had the shield absorbed?

"Yang, we need to run." Jaune tugged on her elbow, but she resisted.

"We can't just leave Goodwitch!" She tried to protest but when she turned on their teacher she merely nodded for them to go.

"If we stay here Autumn is going to continue sniping into this area. Splitting up my sisters is just as beneficial for us as it is for them right now." Yang had never really bought into that whole divide and conquer stuff. She would just rather charge right into the thick of it. This time though, she supposed there was value to the strategy.

"Let's go." She nodded and the two of them took off running. They hit the end of the street and turned the corner, running down the open road that would lead them to the freeway system of Vale.

Behind them they heard a giant crash as Ciel's ice collided with Goodwitch's Semblance.

Ahead, multiple streaks of orange lightning rained down upon them. "That doesn't look good…" Yang glanced at Jaune out of the corner of her eye to see him staring ahead, mentally counting something.

They charged right into the raining lightning, both of them strafing back and forth in an effort to avoid the powerful streaks of orange death that left holes in the concrete wherever they struck.

The first volley ended just as the sound of energy surging from behind reached their ears. Jaune stopped hard and raised his hand to destroy Joan's wave of light when someone else landed in front of his path.

Lie Ren raised his hands up in front of himself and pink energy pulsed out from the palms. The light wave struck his barriers and pushed the eastern boy back several inches but failed to break through. As it dissipated out of existence, Nora and Pyrrha landed down next to him.

"So you three made it after all." Yang couldn't tell if Jaune said that with relief or disappointment. Knowing him it could have been either. Despite his promise to them, he had looked pretty prepared to shatter Joan's sword anyways. Which wasn't something she could fault him for. Promises were important, but if Ruby was in danger, Yang would likely make the same choice as him.

"We got Joan from here." Pyrrha already had Milo and Akuo deployed.

"Just be careful...all of you." He nodded to them before turning back around and renewing his dash forward.

Yang hesitated for another second. Joan was slowing to a stop but Olivia wasn't in sight. Would she try to sneak up on JNPR with her illusions or was she going to try and continue after Jaune by herself? Hopefully, it was the latter.

She clicked her teeth in frustration as she turned after Jaune. "Where are we even running to?"

"I think I've figured out Oblido's location!" He shouted back, eyes scanning for another volley of her lightning. "There!" He suddenly pointed and Yang saw it too. In the distance a streak of orange shot straight into the sky before it broke apart and began to arch towards them. She must have been on the upper freeway. Those roads got plenty high as they crisscrossed all over one another.

The ground around them shook and the building in front of their path collapsed as Ciel's giant Ice Beowulf crashed into it. Bullheads were circling around it, firing all manner of bullets and rockets that didn't seem to so much as leave a scratch. The monster swung its arm and the torrential gale created from the movement alone sent the bullheads spiralling out of control and crashing all over the city.

Autumn's lightning pierced through the collapsed building like it was paper and continued right at them, once more sending the pair into a dodging frenzy as they continued forward.

They reached the building and both pumped Aura into their legs before giving massive jumps. They cleared half the building with a single leap and pushed off once more, propelling them over it completely. They hit the ground with a roll and continued running without losing a beat.

"Yang!" She heard the familiar call of her sister and looked towards the sky. The rest of her team flew over them in a bullhead, Ruby waving furiously. CFVY and CRDL were cramped in together with them, which meant the gang was all here.

Just before she could call back to her sister though, the bullhead was hit by another streak of lightning. The ship banked hard and spun out of control, the side of it scraping against a building on its descent towards the earth.

The three teams dove out the bullhead, one of them holding Velvet. They hit the ground in a crouch, Aura having protected them all. Almost all of them.

"Velvet!" Coco ran up to Yatsuhashi who was holding their bunny-eared teammate gingerly. As Jaune and Yang approached they saw a bloody hole in her stomach, where she had likely been hit by Autumn's lightning.

"We need to Evac her now!" Coco put pressure on the wound, ignoring the blood that began to coat her hands.

"Maybe you didn't notice, but our Evac just went down. Along with a lot of other Bullheads." Cardin gestured to the giant Ice Beowulf. "We just walked into a freaking war-zone."

"We knew what we were getting into by agreeing to help Jaune go after his sisters." Weiss sneered at him.

"Yang! Jaune! You're okay!" Ruby tackled into the both of them and pulled them into a hug.

"Good to see you too, sis!" Yang rubbed her hair affectionately while Jaune awkwardly returned the hug. As Ruby pulled away though, she caught sight of the back of his hands. A look of worry flashed across her silver eyes but she never got the chance to put a voice to it.

"Everyone! Scatter!" Blake's shout caused all of them to turn around to see another storm of lightning approaching them.

"Can't you destroy those with your glyphs!?" Cardin yelled as he barely dodged one of the bolts.

"I can only destroy the bolts individually!" Jaune twisted and turned to dodge the last couple streaks before assessing everyone else had escaped unharmed.

"Do you have a plan?" Coco quickly approached him once the volley ended. "We need to settle things quickly so I can get my teammate out of here."

"Pyrrha and the others are taking care of Crocea Mors. Professor Goodwitch is holding back Glacies. I need to get to Oblido or she's just going to pick us apart. It'll be impossible to dodge her lightning though if I charge her by myself so I need as many as possible to come with me." The speed at which he filled them in honestly surprised Yang. It was like he had become a completely different person, all his former awkwardness around a group this large gone.

"Don't forget Teresa is hot on our tail." She pitched in while checking to see if Jaune's glyphs were glowing in reaction to an illusion.

"We can't go running and abandon Velvet so leave Teresa to us." Coco hefted her bag over her shoulder. "You hear that Yatsu, Fox?" Her two male teammates nodded their compliance immediately.

"Oh, you think you can handle me, do you?" Olivia strolled out from an alley slowly, a huge grin plastered across her face. "Normally I wouldn't give you the time of day, but those fashionable clothes you've got are really pissing me off. Besides, it's been some time since the old Olivia last saw her cute underclassmen."

"Is that an illusion?" Jaune shook his head at Coco's question. Olivia must have realized sneaking up on them with one would be pointless as Jaune would just break it right away. It was better for her to let him retreat first.

"I'll protect Velvet." Cardin lifted the bunny girl from Yatsuhashi's hold. "Better you fight than I." The taller man nodded gratefully to him.

"You better not let a single other thing happen to her!" Coco glared at him harshly, adjusting her sunglasses so he could see the distrust in her eyes.

"I'll die well before she does. I owe her at least that much." Cardin matched her glare with a look of pure resolution, almost as if to convey how seriously he meant those words. She finally gave a nod of satisfaction and he turned to his teammates. "Dove, Russell, Lark! You go with Jauney Boy so you can draw his sister's fire."

"Shouldn't we go help Joan?" Lark looked past the broken building where JNPR was having their unseen reunion. "I thought we were doing this for her."

Cardin gave a small snort. "If Joan gets a look at any of our ugly faces she'll probably never snap out of it. Let Pyrrha handle it. She knows what she's doing."

The three men looked at one another and nodded. "Whatever you say, Boss." Russell rolled his shoulders and fiddled with his daggers.

"What do you need from us?" Dove turned to address Jaune directly.

"I'll explain on the way. We gotta go. There's another volley coming." True to his words, another wave of lightning was heading right at them.

He started running in the direction it came from and the three other members of CRDL took off after him. RWBY shared a collective look with one another and gave a simultaneous nod. They hurried after Jaune as well, prepared to help him until the end.

Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi remained rooted in place as they had a stare-down with Olivia. Cardin retreated slowly towards a building, applying pressure to Velvet's wound. Yang gave them one last look before turning her eyes forward.

Things had been looking pretty bleak, but now their full sister-task-force was present along with Goodwitch. With so many people and Jaune having a strategy, they surely had a chance now, right?

She sure hoped so.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Omake Prompt supplied by both Suna no Ken and Eunoshin

* * *

 **Omake 10**

 _For but a moment_

* * *

"Jaune, let's run away."

This was the first thing Joan said as she entered her room, slamming the door irritably behind her.

"...What brought this on?" Her twin pulled out his favorite earbuds and began wrapping them around his pocket radio. He was spread out across his bed and had just been staring at the ceiling when she walked in.

"Are you going to come with me or not?" She ignored his question altogether as she leapt onto the bed next to him, causing it to rock violently, before burying her face in the pillow.

"That depends, I guess." She could feel his breath against her ear, but didn't shirk away from it in the slightest. "We would need a pretty good plan. Once Violet finds out there's no telling what she'll do to bring us back. And I really don't think we want her as an enemy."

Joan snorted. "She can't force us to come back. We're Seventeen now. That means you and I are legally adults. Besides, she's not our guardian...she's never even home. Always out saving the world and doing other Huntress-y-stuff."

"Neither of those things will stop Violet and I think you know that just as well if not better than I do. She's determined for whatever reason that all of you graduate as soon as possible. I think she has some big plans once you're all full-fledged Huntresses." He brought up a good point. None of them really knew why, except maybe Amy, but Violet was more adamant than even their parents about their education. There was no way Violet was going to let her quit.

Even so. "I don't care. We'll move to Vacuo or something. We can join a travelling circus!" She flopped over on the bed so she was looking up at the ceiling just like her twin was.

"A traveling circus?" Jaune gave a small laugh. "I can just picture the headline. 'Witness the amazing twins as they get motion sickness balancing on a giant ball!' It'll be great." He spread his arms wide as he exaggerated the imagery. "We can throw up in sync and everything."

"A giant ball doesn't count as a vehicle, you dork!" She shoved him lightly in the shoulder with her own.

"How would you know, have you ever been on one?" He retorted quickly, giving her a big stupid grin.

"Well, no…" She admitted while turning her own head to look at him. "...you know what, maybe it'll work? We should try it!"

"Haha, I don't know if I want to spend the rest of my life balancing on a ball until I throw up so people can laugh at me. Sounds pretty humiliating." He looked right into her eyes, and she could tell he was still trying to figure out what had sparked all this. "You wouldn't want that either, would you?"

She reached over and grabbed his wrapped wrist.. "...If it's with you. I wouldn't mind."

His eyes lit up with a small hint of recognition and she knew he had figured it out. "You got your letter of acceptance for Beacon?" He asked the question she knew he already had the answer to. Of course she got accepted. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she wouldn't have been. All her older sisters had been accepted and she was just as adept as they were.

"I tried convincing dad again to let you come with me." That was the problem though. No matter how much she pleaded he wouldn't budge on the subject. Going to Signal hadn't been so bad because she got to come home often while attending. If she went to Beacon, she would only be able to come back in between school years. She wouldn't see her twin for months at a time then.

"Joan…"

"Don't you start with me too!" She cut him off before his protest could even begin. "I don't see why you can't become a Hunter like the rest of us! You've been working hard all this time! You have every right to prove yourself just like we do!" Besides all that though, she just didn't want to be alone. She failed to make any friends all those years she spent at Signal. She couldn't bear going through another four years of that. Even if Olivia would also be there for her last year, that wasn't enough.

His own hand switched around and gripped the hand that had been holding his wrist. "I can't do that because my place is here...I have to be ready to protect you all at any moment."

"You can protect me at Beacon. And I'll protect you too. We can be partners." She squeezed that hand back, trying to convey to him how much she wanted this.

"It's about more than just protecting you Joan. You're my twin. And you know I love you. But I have to protect all our sisters. If I go to Beacon I'm sure to get eaten by the first Beowulf I run across during Initiation. I have no training against Grimm." Like Joan, he had heard stories about Beacon's unique Initiation exams from their other sisters. "Besides, you'll make friends this time. I'm sure about it."

"Sure…" She drawled sarcastically. "The same way the rest of our sisters made such great friends with their teammates?" And by that she meant none of them did.

"Joan." He stated firmly this time. "Go to Beacon. Become a Huntress. I know that's what you really want. It's just...not a path I can walk with you this time."

"It's what you really want too though, isn't it?" For just a moment she saw the hurt flicker across his eyes. He was her twin so of course she knew. He wanted nothing more than to become a Hunter. It was his dream as much as it was her's.

"Go to Beacon." He repeated instead. He would never say it out loud, what he really wanted. He probably felt he would be giving something up if he did. "I'll be waiting here for you when you graduate."

"We could still run away." At that moment in time, she was completely serious. If he wanted to leave and become something more than a Glyph Bearer, she would quit being a Sword Wielder. Even if that meant puking in front of a crowd for their entertainment.

"...That option never really existed for me." From the very beginning though, Jaune had resigned himself to a life he never really wanted. All so the rest of them could be happy.

So in that moment, Joan decided to try and live that life he was trying to give her.


	15. True Power

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _True Power_

* * *

Shards of ice flew at Glynda from every conceivable direction.

It should have been an impossible attack to dodge or block. Ciel's control over her ice was perfect. No one had ever been capable of manipulating it against her will.

However, Glynda Goodwitch wasn't like anyone she had ever faced before.

She raised the riding crop above her head and gave a dramatic flick. A purple glow overtook the shards and they tremored as she wrestled for control over them. She had previously managed to pull it off and even melt the ice when saving Jaune and Yang because Ciel hadn't been aware that she was even here. Now though, it wasn't such an easy-fought battle.

Even so, she managed to bend the shards just enough that every single one missed its mark and flew past her, most of them colliding into one another and shattering into thousands of tiny fragments and those that didn't to bury into the ground.

As the fragments rained down around her, Glynda once more flicked the riding crop and brought it down, pointing it towards the ground. The fragments of ice glowed purple and began swirling together, forming a giant broken spear that then flew straight at Ciel.

Ciel glowered darkly as she twirled Glacies Inferno. A wall of thick ice formed in front of her and the spear collided into it, shattering both of them apart and into even smaller fragments than before.

This time Ciel took control of them, freezing them in the air before they contorted and took the shape of shuriken. She pointed the dagger at Glynda with a dramatic flail and the ice shuriken began spinning in place before flying at her in quick succession.

Glynda spun the riding crop in a circle and the water from the previously melted ice rose up and twisted around her in a protective whirlpool that battered back the ice shuriken storm.

The moment the last shuriken was knocked back and the water surged at Ciel in a tidal wave. It got within five feet of her before freezing solid. The wall of ice then bent and cracked as it took on the shape of an Ursa Major.

The ice Grimm stood on all four paws and Glynda prepared for it to charge, but instead it casually paced to the side, revealing Ciel who had been behind it. Neither of them had taken a single step since this battle begun, just waving their weapons in place as they manipulated their surroundings. "...This is a lot more work than I expected. Why don't you and I call a truce?"

If it was possible, Glynda's already deep scowl became more pronounced. Out of the corner of her eye she could still see the monstrous Beowulf as it rampaged through the city, killing with every step it took. "You can have your truce if you want. Give me that dagger so I can take it to Mr Arc and have it destroyed."

Ciel tossed the dagger in the air and caught it. "Afraid I can't do that. I don't really fancy the idea of dying. Even if sometimes it takes a lot of effort, I've grown fond of being alive as a human."

"You have no right to call yourself a human. Especially not when you are using Ciel's body."

"Ah, that's right. I forgot that you and the old Ciel were rather close. She usually didn't bring me out when you and her met for your little get-togethers. If you really want a drinking buddy that you can complain to so badly I would be more than happy to fill that void."

"I'm afraid I must decline your offer. Ciel earned that right to have drinks with me. The only thing you've earned is a swift death by Mr Arc's hands."

"You really need to tell me what exactly Ciel did that made you like her so much. She was practically the biggest troublemaker Beacon has ever seen. Always pulling pranks and getting yelled at by the entire student body and faculty. Hell, I think she spent more time in your office for detention than anywhere else in Beacon."

Glynda's grip on her riding crop tightened so much she thought it might snap. What this Ciel said was true. She was always in trouble with someone or another. Ciel never got along with anyone. Not her teammates nor any of the other students. Most of that was of her own doing, constantly pulling pranks on them and alienating herself by telling exaggerated stories that the others only saw as lies.

However, Glynda could see underneath all that. Ciel was just a lonely girl that missed her family. Family that would put up with all her nonsense and still love her. In a way she reminded Glynda a lot of herself. Even if their approaches were opposite, she saw many similarities between them.

So Glynda never gave up on her, unlike the other teachers that quit punishing her and the students who quit responding altogether. No matter what it was, if Ciel did well she would praise her. If she pulled another stupid stunt she would punish her. And somewhere along the line the two of them had become close, enough so for Glynda to even call her a friend.

For that reason, she would help her. Her and the rest of the family she cared so much about.

"There is no need for any more words between you and me." Glynda raised her crop and prepared once more for battle.

"That's too bad." Ciel let out an exaggerated sigh and the ice Ursa that had just been standing idle began to charge.

"I was really hoping to just kick back and take it easy too."

* * *

Cardin had thought the name Olivia had been familiar back when Jaune was listing off his sisters.

It wasn't until he laid eyes on the green-haired girl though did it finally register why he recognized that name. Olivia had been at Beacon for her last year when his team had begun their first.

Despite having gone to the same academy, it was incredibly rare for the fourth years to ever interact with their underclassmen. They were usually out fulltime on missions, applying for future positions and getting ready for Beacon's graduation exam.

Even so, he had seen Olivia from time to time with Joan and now he finally understood why. It was because they were sisters. Not that he ever would have put two and two together just looking at them. Jaune and Joan at least looked somewhat alike. Olivia looked very different though. It was exactly like how Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long bared almost no familial resemblances, he wouldn't have known they were sisters either if Yang wasn't so vocal about it.

More importantly though, this was now a fully trained Huntress they were fighting against. Even if there were still three of them left on team CFVY, they were only in their third year. He knew CFVY was strong, but even then he didn't like their odds

"Olivia…" Velvet let out a small moan and he glanced down at the bunny girl. One of her eyes were cracked open as she struggled to hang onto consciousness despite the gaping hole in her stomach. Even with Aura as strong as hers, that lightning had ripped right through it. That was a terrifying prospect.

"You know her?" Cardin let his curiosity get the best of him, noticing some form of recognition in her opened eye.

She gave a small nod, her bunny ears bouncing lightly. "She...looked after us a lot in our first year. She was assigned to tutor us to help improve her social tendencies." Her voice came out ragged and slow. He thought about telling her to stop, but couldn't.

"If you knew her though, why didn't you mention anything to Jauney Boy?" Now that he thought about it, they had been just as surprised to find out there was a brother as the rest of them.

"He didn't seem to know we knew her either. We weren't sure if there was some reason for that. So we decided to keep quiet." He supposed that made sense, maybe.

"That means you have a plan though, right?" Surely they knew how to deal with her if she used to train them.

Velvet gave another small nod but it looked like her consciousness was begin to wave in and out of focus. "Just leave it...to Fox." This was the last thing she said before her head lulled. He quickly checked her pulse to find it still there albeit weak, and he could even see her Aura working to patch up the wound. She would live, but she wouldn't be able to fight.

Since he didn't have to worry about her life being in immediate danger, he turned his attention back to the battle that hadn't unfolded yet, and in particular to Fox. The orange-haired boy was blind and yet that had never seemed to hinder him in the slightest. He fought just as well as anyone else his grade, if not better than most.

He thought he got it though. Olivia created illusions with her sword. Fox couldn't see which meant those illusions had no effect on him. Maybe there was actually a chance this would all work out after all? The three of them at least looked confident about their odds.

"If you wanted to give up, Teresa. Now would be the time to do that." Coco's handbag expanded into a gatling gun and she pointed it directly at the green-haired girl. Despite having such a dangerous weapon pointed at her she didn't flinch in the slightest. Almost definitely that wasn't the real Olivia and they were already trapped in an illusion.

"I would prefer it if you called me Olivia." She stabbed the claymore into the ground and rested one hand on her hip. "And you're in for a world of hurt if you think that because you used to spar against the old Olivia for fun you even have a ghost of a chance against me."

"We'll just have to wait and see." Coco smirked as Fox took off running away from where the fake Olivia was standing. He ducked as if dodging some invisible swing before twirling and jabbing at thin air.

He then continued a series of dodges and swings, almost definitely in combat with the true Olivia. It was incredible that he could dodge like that based only on sound. Cardin couldn't help but wonder if he trained maybe he could do that, or maybe Fox had some Semblance helping him?

Coco turned away from the visible, fake Olivia and her gatling gun whirled to life before it began discharging high-powered dust bullets the split the earth and boxed in the unseen, real Olivia.

Without being able to retreat behind and being forced back by Fox she had no choice but to retreat right to where Yatsuhashi was waiting. With only a simple nod by Fox, Yatsuhashi raised his giant sword and slammed it down.

The earth split apart and formed a giant crater from the sheer force of his strike. "Ah!" The real Olivia became visible, flying sideways through the air before collapsing to the ground. She skid to a stop and her claymore clattered to the ground several feet away. She struggled to get to her hands and knees before collapsing face first back down.

"Amazing…" Cardin had heard nothing but incredible things about these sisters and yet CFVY made swift work of one of them without even breaking a sweat. And they were down a member too.

"Nice hustle, Fox." Coco's gatling gun reformed once more into a handbag and she sauntered slowly towards the downed Olivia. "Now what do you think we should do with her sword? Probably be best to give it to Jaune for him to break. But if Pyrrha finds a way to free Joan…" She appeared to contemplate for a couple seconds before shrugging. "I say we just have it broken and be done with it. You agree?"

She turned to her teammates for confirmation and Yatsuhashi merely gave an exaggerated nod. "Perfect." She chirped cheerily, stopping just short of the sword. "And Fox?" Their last teammate remained strangely quiet and had yet to move from the moment the battle ended.

A second after Coco asked her question and a fountain of blood exploded out of Fox's waist. His upper body fell free of his legs and collapsed forward while the lower portion of his body tipped in reverse. "Fox!"

Olivia and the claymore behind her began to shimmer and fade from existence while a new one appeared out of thin air right next to the falling Fox. "Oh my, oh my. It would appear you were all under some grave misconception."

"You bitch!" Coco's bag once more shifted back into a gun and unloaded a barrage of bullets that merely phased right through Olivia. It was just another illusion.

At this point Cardin couldn't even be sure if the Fox next to her was real or not. If he was...

Cardin would just rather believe that Fox was another part of Olivia's illusion.

"You actually thought my illusions only affected sight?" The fake continued talking like bullets weren't currently flying through her. Cardin shouldn't have been able to hear her voice at all over the sound of Coco's gatling. Yet it sounded more like she was speaking directly into his mind.

"Too bad for you, my illusions can affect all five senses. In fact, it is more disadvantageous to fight me without eyesight." The gun slowed to a stop as it overheated. "Well, this was fun and all but I probably shouldn't drag this out any longer. I just couldn't resist the urge to wipe that cocky smirk right off your pretty face."

A shiver went up Cardin's spine as she gave an evil, malignant smile of her own.

"Now then, I hope you don't mind if I get a little more serious."

* * *

This was it.

Pyrrha was finally going to get her partner back.

She gripped the handle of Milo tightly and glared at the girl...no, sword that had taken over her best friend's body. This whole thing happened because somehow that sword had managed to overpower Joan's soul. Then the solution was simple, they had to reverse the effects.

"Joan...we're going to save you now." Pyrrha strolled forward confidently. This was no time to hesitate. They had a plan and the first part of that required her to distract Joan.

Joan tilted her head and popped an eyebrow quizzically, as if Pyrrha's words were some of the strangest things she had ever heard. "Save me? If you truly wanted to save me, you could start by killing that brother of mine. Or at the very least cutting off his hands."

"I'm talking to the real Joan!" Pyrrha snapped, resisting the urge to fire a shot off at her.

Joan hung her head and shook it from side to side in exasperation. "Again and again I have to keep saying it." She threw her head back up and gave a feral grin, completely unbefitting her normally beautiful face. "I _am_ the real Joan now."

That was the last straw for Pyrrha. This sword had the audacity to claim to be the real Joan in front of her, Joan's best friend. With a mighty yell, Pyrrha charged right at the sword without another moment's hesitation.

Joan raised her shield just as Pyrrha jabbed with Milo. Her sword bounced off Joan's shield with a loud clang and a flash of sparks. Joan's sword began to glow gold and Pyrrha knew one of her light waves was coming.

She gave a slight twirl of fingers to manipulate the sword to the side but to her utter shock, nothing happened. Joan swung the sword forward unhindered and Pyrrha barely brought Akuo around in time to defend herself. The wave of light blasted her backwards and she barely managed to maintain her balance.

"Don't look so surprised, Pyrrha." Joan gave a loud snicker and waved her armaments around for emphasis. "I wasn't in the most conscious state when dormant in this sword. You could say I was aware, but it was more comparable to being in a lucid dream than anything. So when the old Joan wielded me you were capable of manipulating my metal. Now that I'm awake and my soul is more active, there's no way I'll allow myself to be bent by your polarity."

Pyrrha had to fight the urge to grimace. Of course things wouldn't go that easy. That didn't mean she was out of tricks though. She glanced backwards. Ren stood upright, but his eyes were closed and his mouth curled in concentration. He wasn't ready yet. The moment he was and Nora would make her move. That meant she just had to hold out until then.

"Interesting, interesting. You three aren't attacking me together. Hmm…" Joan placed her weapons behind her back and strolled sideways, swinging her feet high into the air with every step. "What could you all be planning?" She drawled, almost sarcastically so.

"You don't have time to worry about them!" Pyrrha kicked forward and brought Milo high above her head. As she swung forward, one of Joan's barriers intercepted her and Milo bounced back pointlessly. Pyrrha felt like her teeth would chip she grit them so hard. This sword even dared used Joan's Semblance!

She threw Akuo to the side and it bounced off a streetlamp before ricocheting back at Joan from an angle her barrier wasn't currently protecting. "Geez...you always were a really troublesome partner." Joan blasted the shield out of the way with a wave of light. Before it hit the ground, Pyrrha caught it with her polarity and it snapped back to her metal armband. "Still, I was disappointed you didn't show up to the banquet that night. I had been really looking forward to killing you."

"Shut up!" Pyrrha screamed at the top of her lungs as she vaulted over the top of Joan's barrier. As she passed Joan overhead, Milo transformed into a javelin and she chucked it straight down. Joan merely skipped to the side in an easy dodge.

As she skipped backwards though, Pyrrha's other teammates finally began to move. It was time for phase two of their plan. "I hope you're hungry!" Nora gave a loud whoop as Magnhild transformed. The energetic girl twirled it so the giant hammer was over her head and leapt into the air.

"I'm famished, actually." Joan raised the shield above her head and took the brunt of Nora's attack. Normally a pink explosion followed such a strike and Pyrrha did notice the start of it but all that Dust and energy was then absorbed by Joan's shield, cancelling it out altogether.

She raised her sword that was already glowing gold, prepared to blast Nora back who still hung suspended in the air. Not if Pyrrha had anything to say about it. She whipped Akuo at her upheld wrist and just as Joan went to flick forward the shield caught it and sent the sword flying from her grip.

"Got'cha!" Nora extended one hand and caught the sword by the hilt. Then, with all the grace of a trained acrobat she twirled around the shaft of the hammer, brought her legs behind Joan's shield and yanked backwards. With a strangled cry of pain from Joan, Nora pulled the shield free from her arm and flipped backwards.

She somersaulted in the air and landed nimbly on her feet, the shield balanced perfectly between her legs, hammer in one hand and Joan's sword in the other. That was phase two complete. Separate Joan from her weapon. Now it was down to phase three, which was all on Ren.

For the first time since their fight began, Joan gave an angry scowl. As she took a menacing step towards Nora to reclaim her shield and sword, Ren appeared between the two of them in a blur, his arms spread wide as if to shield her from harm.

His entire body was aglow with pink Aura. As if sensing something dangerous was coming, Joan tried to retreat backwards but it was too late. All of that Aura surrounding Ren's body surged to the palms of his hands which began glowing so brightly even Pyrrha had to adjust her eyes.

Ren stepped in and swung his open palms forward. The right hand struck Joan in the temple and the left struck her over the heart. With an anguished cry, Joan was flung to the ground on her back where she began to writhe and flail.

Pyrrha liked to think of herself as fairly knowledgeable about Aura. It was because she could claim to know as much as she did though, that she could admit that if she was considered adept, Ren was a master.

He had been studying about Aura and its link to the soul his whole life, constantly seeking a higher level of understanding through his meditations. Whether or not there was even a tangible answer, no one knew. If there was one though, he and his family were likely the closest people to it on all of Remnant.

That was why the whole plan hinged so much on Ren and his powerful manipulation over Aura. If anyone had a chance of freeing Joan, it was him. Starting from that fact, they had built their plan.

First, Pyrrha had kept Joan distracted and her eye off Ren. Even if she did try to attack him, Nora stayed behind in defense. As Pyrrha played her part, Ren began meditating. He focused on all of their memories with Joan, bringing them to the forefront of his mind, laying all his feelings bare and allowing them to mold to his Aura.

Once that was done, and he had a clear vision of Joan's Aura in mind, he turned his attention towards her. The key now, was differentiating Joan's soul from Crocea Mors'. Once he had a pin on where Joan's soul was, they were able to move onto phase two.

Nora pulled that off perfectly, separating Crocea Mors from Joan. Jaune had clearly stated that the swords didn't need to be in direct contact to control the wielder. However, it stood to reason that the more distance they put between the two the more likely their chances were at getting Joan's soul to regain control. Once that was accomplished the only thing left was triggering her dormant soul into a reaction.

Which was exactly what Ren had just done. If Aura was any indication, the soul existed in every fibre of your being. However, it was often believed that the two places where the soul was strongest was the mind and heart.

By striking these two focal points of the soul and inflicting them with his own Aura, one which was overflowing with memories of their time together and strong feelings for one another, he was almost sure to give Joan's soul the jumpstart it needed to finally overpower Crocea Mors once and for all.

At least that was the plan.

Now they just had to hope it worked.

Which was certainly looking like a promising prospect at the moment. Joan continued to wail in anguish, far more dramatically than should have been necessary for as otherwise unremarkable a blow Ren had landed.

Her legs kicked and flailed as if attempting to lift her back up and arms seized against the ground in constant tremors as her back arched up and eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her entire body began to emit a golden glow and if it was possible her shrieks became even more piercing.

Finally, and all at once, the glow vanished and her body went limp against the ground. The horrifying screams were replaced by the almost gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed steadily.

None of them dared breathe a word, too afraid of waking Joan up and finding out the truth. Had their plan truly, actually succeeded? Hesitantly, Ren took a step forward, already being the closest in location to Joan.

As his foot stepped down, her head twitched, causing them all to give a small start. Her eyes fluttered open and a soft moan escaped her lips. "...What happened?" She lifted a hand to the side of her head and rubbed it tenderly. "Where am I?" She finally glanced around as if finally realizing they were all here. "Pyrrha, Ren, Nora?" She called each of their names in confusion, and yet with such familiarity Pyrrha felt her eyes began to tear up.

She was back.

Joan was back.

Their plan had actually worked and they didn't have to break her sword. They could be a team again. Joan could be by their side again. This was almost too good to be true.

Ren collapsed to his knees just in front of Joan who was just beginning to sit back up, flinching slightly at the apparent dizziness such movement caused. Before she could ask anything more, the eastern boy leaned forward and wrapped her in a hug.

"Uh...guys? What's going on?" She glanced back at Pyrrha with an odd, awkward look plastered across her face. One exactly like the old Joan would make.

There was no doubt this was their Joan.

That was the last thought that entered Pyrrha's brain before it all went wrong. If she hadn't been so focused on her best friend, she might have noticed the glowing sword in Nora's hand before it was too late. Instead, the only thing she caught was Joan's familiar smile twist into a cruel, unfamiliar smirk.

Nora let out an ear-piercing shriek as the sword in her hand discharged a massive golden wave that completely enveloped the normally stalwart girl.

"Nora!" Ren and Pyrrha's voice overlapped in combined horror as the former whirled around, turning his back to Joan. Just as he began to kick off the ground for his partner, she lunged forward and brought her elbow crashing into the back of his exposed neck.

He hit the ground on his knees and then fell forward, knocked out by her surprise attack. Just as his body ceased movement and the tidal wave of golden energy pittered out of existence, revealing a still standing Nora.

Standing, but clearly not consciously so. Magnhild crumbled apart in her hand and the broken pieces clattered across the concrete. Her clothes were tattered, skin covered in third-degree burns, and normally orange hair was singed and burnt, revealing parts of her scalp.

Her turquoise eyes were open but unseeing as she collapsed forward in the same way her partner just had, first hitting her knees and then smacking the ground face first. Crocea Mors fell from her grip and bounced towards Joan.

Pyrrha...didn't even know what to do.

She didn't even know what had just happened.

She could only stare ahead with wide eyes and mouth ajar.

"Hahahaha! You should see the look on your face right now! Oh my God! It's hysterical!" Joan held her gut and threw her head back as she let out a loud, manic laughter that filled the sky.

"Joan…" Her mind ceased thought.

"I can't believe you three actually fell for that! How stupid are you!?" Joan continued laughing as she got back to her feet. "I mean really! I put on a show and say your names in a dazed voice and the three of you completely drop your guards! Are you freaking serious?!" She prodded Ren's body with the toe of her shoe.

"The sword...you weren't holding it." Even now Pyrrha was trying to make sense of what happened. Joan couldn't use her light waves if she wasn't in direct contact with her sword. That shouldn't have been possible

"Huh? Did you really just say that?" Joan leaned her head closer and cupped a hand over an ear. "Have you really been hanging out with my brother? Maybe he forgot to tell you or maybe something didn't click in that head of yours."

She gestured to the sword. " _I_ am the _sword_." She then gesture to herself, holding her hand just beneath her chest. "The _sword_ is _me_." She then spread her arms out wide as if addressing an audience. "Do you get it now? I don't need to be holding Crocea Mors to use my light attack because I _am_ Crocea Mors! Or rather, both that sword and this body are now Joan."

No.

No, no, no.

That wasn't right. That couldn't be right.

This whole time...Jaune was right.

"Oh man! And that strategy you three came up with! That's the best part of this whole thing!" Joan twirled around, arms still spread wide, blonde hair fluttering and skirt lifting lightly from the motion. As she continued, she used a mock voice, absolutely dripping with sarcasm. " _Oh Joan! We love you so much! Please come back to us!_ " She gave another snort like it was the most hysterical thing she ever heard.

"And what the Hell was that? Hitting me with the power of love? Well here is a lesson for you, there is no such thing!" She gave a huge, twisted grin, blue eyes wide and unblinking, disheveled blond hair partially obscuring them. "Power is power! Nothing more. Love is just some bitter aftertaste that ruins my appetite."

Finally, she picked her sword and shield back up. Pyrrha had yet to reach for her own weapon as her partner turned back on her.

"So how about I give you a taste of true power?"

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

I got quite a bit of interest on Jaune's dad lately and had a couple great ideas pitched by a very lazy person and confections101 for the omake so I blended those together as best I could and came up with this one below.

* * *

 **Omake 11**

 _Father's Day Flashback_

* * *

Was this what they called your life flashing before your eyes?

He had always pictured it as a series of events passing by your mind in an instant, too fast to comprehend yet somehow comprehensible at the same time. Yet for some reason, that wasn't how it was.

Instead of seeing many things, such as the birth of each of his daughters, or maybe the day he met his lovely wife, or perhaps the day he had been chosen by Crocea Mors, he saw only one thing: The image of his son holding a poorly crafted coffee mug up to him.

"Happy Father's day!" Jaune exclaimed with a huge toothy grin, his wrapped hands holding the mug above his head like it was some holy chalice and not the sloppy, clay-molded cup that it was. Painted on the side of the mug were the words "World's #1 Dad!" that looked more like a preschooler that had never held a pen before tried to scribble.

"...What?" Mr Arc stared at the article in his fourteen-year old son's hands in an odd mix of confusion and morbid curiosity.

"I made it for you!" Jaune continued to beam brightly as he hefted the object closer to him, urging him to take hold of it.

"...You made this?" He complied wearily, grasping it gingerly with his massive hands, afraid he might shatter it just by applying too much pressure. The mug felt rough and was covered in bumps, nicks, and other imperfections.

Yet beyond all that, it was most impressive it had turned out this well at all.

The very fact that Jaune's fragile, maimed hands were capable of molding clay and then nurturing it into anything that hadn't turned into a complete disaster was nothing short of an absolute miracle. It must have taken him hours and no doubt it had caused him great pain in his bones several times to do such meticulous work. What's more, this was clearly his hand-writing now that he stared at the words again.

"You know I did! Did it all by myself too!" Jaune flexed one of his unimpressive biceps, grinning like an idiot yet still. "Didn't even ask Joan for help! She's been pretty busy with homework from Signal so I didn't want to bother her."

"...Why?" Before he even really thought about it, the question had escaped his lips and caused the smile on Jaune's face to slip slightly. He tilted his head curiously at his father and seemed to be contemplating his question like it was some kind of puzzle.

Finally, his nose gave a small wrinkle signalling he gave up. "Why what?"

"Why did you make this for me?" He didn't understand. His son should hate him, shouldn't he? Jaune always acted politely around him, but he just assumed that it was because Jaune felt like he had to out of some form of obligation or to keep up appearances because whether he liked it or not, he had to live here.

The fact that Jaune would go out of his way to make this for him though, and at what must have been great pains to him, suggested otherwise. It was almost like this kid in front of him really did consider him the world's number one dad and not some scum that had scalped his hands open just so he could protect the Seven Sacred Arc Swords.

That was how his two oldest daughters viewed him after all. They hated him. Wouldn't even talk to him. He couldn't even recall the last time he had a proper conversation with Violet. Probably that funeral two years prior. And it wasn't even them that had their hands injured. So it made sense to assume Jaune thought the exact same way, if not held an even deeper resentment.

The boy defied all expectations as he gave a small snort of amusement. "That's a weird question. I told you when I handed it to you. It's Father's Day!" He held his hands up in the air and wagged them in emphasis, as if gesturing to some invisible banner.

"Jaune…" His son blurred out of focus and it took him another several seconds to realize that it was because tears had begun building up in the corner of his eyes. This was far more than a man like him deserved. He who had done what was expected of him by his own father, unable to break away from the traditions set down on them by their forebearers.

He simply hadn't wished to disappoint his own father, and in doing so had become a horrible father himself, not to mention the one who murdered his brother. Yet despite that, Jaune didn't hate him in the slightest. He couldn't even fathom how that was possible.

"Geez, I know it isn't very good looking, but is it really so ugly that it's making you cry?" He quickly tried to wipe away his tears, even knowing that it was too late and Jaune had already seen them. That was the one thing he tried to never let happen. He couldn't let him know how much it tore him up inside doing what he had done.

Even if it was because that mask he tried to put on is what caused Violet and Amethyst to hate him, it was necessary to keep up appearances. If he showed doubts of their traditions now, they would never follow them when it was their turn to carry them on.

"...It's okay, you know?" Jaune's voice was suddenly deathly serious and he almost had to double take at the utterly determined look on Jaune's face. At that moment, it was like looking at the spitting image of his own brother in his youth. "These glyphs you put on my hands...I know I may never have to use them. I know my sisters may never need me."

Jaune continued to talk as he stared down at his wrapped hands. "Because of these hands I can never become a Hunter. I can't even make a decent coffee mug with them. Yet with these hands I may one day be able to do something. Even if not and I die like uncle did, I'll try not to have any regrets. Because these hands are my bond with my sisters. I wasn't special enough to be chosen by those swords, but you chose me anyways to defend them. And for that, I'm truly, honestly, from the bottom of my heart, grateful."

The serious look vanished and was once more replaced by a bright smile. "Besides, no other dad gives such cheesy advice the way you do!"

This kid…

He had no idea what to say to such words. In fact, he doubted there was anything he could say that would match the sincerity of Jaune's words just now. So he decided not to say anything to response in them at all and instead looked once more at the ugly mug in his hands. "How about we make some coffee and use this thing?"

"Alright!"

The coffee tasted straight awful in that mug the first time and every time since. Yet without fail, he used it every morning up until the end.

It was this scene he saw as Violet's sword, Ostrum Tempus, pierced him straight through the heart and he collapsed to the ground.

"Any last words, old man?" The blade of the katana buried in the dirt next to his face as the girl that looked exactly like Violet plopped down in front of him.

He opened his mouth to talk but instead gave a ragged cough of blood that pooled beneath him and wet his cheek and neck. In the end, he and Violet never had reconciled. Had the burning hatred in her heart really reached a boiling point that she sought to kill him? There was no way, Violet was a smart girl. She would never do something for the petty need of revenge.

"You...aren't my daughter." His voice was raspy and distant. His time on this planet was done.

"...Hmm, I would like to tell you I am, but somehow I think you would know I'm lying." The girl nodded above him and put a hand on her chin. "Besides, my pride won't along me to let Violet take the credit for killing you. That's just the way I am."

"...Why are you doing this?" Flames and ice covered the village. Countless other corpses surrounded him, including several other members of their family.

"I supposed you could call this revenge? Or maybe karma is a better word? You humans have too many words that mean the same thing. It's irritating." She played with the grass as she chatted with him, almost like she was at a picnic and not in the middle of some massacre.

"Karma?" His voice couldn't even be called a whisper anymore and his vision was fading, already black around the edges.

"Hey, hey. You're about to die, you know? Do you really want your last words to just be a series of questions that won't benefit a corpse?" Maybe she was right. It didn't matter if he knew why this was happening or not. The only thing that mattered...was that there was someone who could stop it.

Jaune.

His glyphs could put an end to his madness.

As if a great weight was lifted off his shoulders, he gave a small smile of peace. It hadn't all been for nothing. Jaune wasn't destined to relive the same fate as every other glyph bearer before him. He would truly be able to use those hands to do something no one else had ever done before.

"...Thank you." Those words escaped his mouth without him even realizing it.

Now he knew why he remembered that scene in the end. It was because of everything, that moment had been one of his most treasured memories. In a lot of ways it was exactly like that mug Jaune had made. A bitter reminder that he had caused his son pain but a glimmer of hope that maybe there was redemption to be had.

"You're a weird guy, thanking the person that killed you." Violet's words were but wisps of wind on his ears. He struggled to continue and hear the voice of a daughter that had long quit talking to him.

"...Ah well. I don't exactly have much room to talk."

He didn't really understand the meaning of her words anymore.

Yet it was comforting to hear the voice of his eldest daughter as he passed.


	16. Ruby vs Autumn

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Ruby vs Autumn_

* * *

"Incoming!" Weiss wasn't sure who it was that yelled something so pointless, but it was obviously one of the blockheads from Cardin's team.

The time between volleys of lightning bolts was getting shorter and shorter which meant they were certainly heading in the right direction. This meant though that they had less and less time to properly dodge.

Cars raced past them, most of them veering out of the way as the lightning storm blasted the freeway, ripping huge holes in the road and sending hunks of concrete raining down. Several weren't quick enough to react in time and slammed into other vehicles. Loud crashes echoed all around them as more cars piled up, flipping over one another.

Screams of terror and pain assaulted Weiss from every direction. This was mayhem. No matter where she looked, some disaster had fallen. In the distance behind them, the giant Ice Beowulf continued its rampage across the city, toppling buildings and destroying aircraft.

Most of the cars around them were people probably trying to escape from that horrifying monster, not knowing they were charging right into an electric deathtrap. The accidents were getting worse and worse and the roads were practically unusable now, but there was no way for them to relay that information back.

The only thing they could do was try and deal with the source of this problem.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled in distress and Weiss saw her racing around the burning vehicles, eyes wide in anxiety as she searched for her sister. "Ruby! Where are you!?" That dolt hadn't gotten caught up in one of these crashes had she?

"She's fine!" Blake was pulling a child out of the back of a flipped van. "She ran ahead using her Semblance! Jaune is with her!" His Aura control was impeccable, able to pump so much into his feet that he could even remotely follow behind Ruby.

"I'm going after her!" Yang didn't waste another moment, already sprinting past all the wreckage and towards another volley of lightning. She skipped past it with ease but the civilians weren't quite so lucky.

"Tch." Weiss clicked her teeth as the dial on Myrtenaster clicked to the proper Dust vial. A giant glyph formed at her feet and the lightning that flew over it arched upwards and past most of the pinned down civilians.

Her glyph wasn't all encompassing though and on the outskirts she heard several explosions as the lighting hit the car engines. "Russell!" One of the boys yelled and she knew one of their own had been hit in that last one. She could see the other one waving people back further, attempting to direct the panic as best as possible.

"Weiss." Blake glanced between her shrinking partner and the destruction around them.

"Go after Yang. Jaune needs all the backup he can get. I'll see to it that everyone here gets to safety and join you as soon as I can." Weiss was already helping another couple stumble out of their vehicle. She only had another few seconds before yet another volley would be on them.

"Thank you." Blake didn't need to be told twice and was already running forward.

Weiss had to fight the urge to give a disdainful smile. "It is _way_ too early to be thanking me."

* * *

Ruby gave a Semblance enhanced leap right up to the freeway crossing overhead, kicking off one of the support pillars to aide in her ascent. With a simple twist she landed nimbly on the road in a crouch.

"I'm impressed." A voice she didn't recognize called in greeting. Ruby slowly straightened up and took in the scene around her.

Two massive car pileups boxed them in and completely isolated the girl standing all alone in the middle of the freeway. The girl had orange hair wound into twintails and glowing green eyes. Over either hand was two dark gray gauntlets, so massive in size they easily doubled the width of her arms. Connecting the gauntlets was a long, serrated chain. That chain hung suspended in the air, twisting and bending with the wind while cackling with orange electricity.

That must have been Luteus Oblido. And the girl was without a doubt Autumn. Rouge's older sister and Jaune's only other younger one.

The chain raised higher and above Autumn's head. Each individual link in the chain began glowing brightly and filled with a ball of orange energy before they all discharged at once. Instead of flying at Ruby though they went straight into the sky before arching in several different directions.

She was sniping...to multiple places at once.

No wonder bullheads hadn't made it over yet. She was quite literally holding them off without so much as having to even turn her head. Ordinarily Ruby would be jealous, but this ability was being used far too malignantly for that.

"Not very many people can get this close to me while dodging my lightning. Honestly, it annoys me a little that I had to waste that much of my power trying to kill you if you were just going to get here anyways."

"I'm not the only one that made it." Ruby puffed out her chest confidently just as Jaune finally caught up and landed next to her.

"Ah, yes. The Glyph Bearer made it too. I should've known the others wouldn't be capable enough to kill you. Although, maybe it's actually a good thing you made it over to me. I'll get all the credit now for turning you into a corpse. I did always hate sharing." She sneered at the blonde boy who flinched slightly. Even though he knew it wasn't her, it must have been painful to hear his own sister talk so cruelly towards him.

"Oblido." He held an open palm out towards her. "Give me back my sister."

"Maybe you didn't hear the news? I am your sister now." Autumn flicked her twintails with a small swing of the neck. "This body's mine. I won't be giving it up so easily."

His open palm curled into a such a tight fist his fingernails pierced the skin and he started to bleed. Ruby was already concerned about the state of his hands. At a first glance she thought they had been injured during the battle before the rest of them showed up. After closer inspection though, it was obvious that those were long-healed scars.

She now knew why Rouge hated those Shatter Glyphs so much.

"Ruby." He started so firmly, in a way that reminded her exactly of Yang when she got serious, that she automatically snapped to attention. "No matter what happens, always stay one step behind me. That way I can shatter her attack if you're in danger. Do not try to charge her by yourself. You understand me?"

"Got it." Ruby knew that he wasn't underestimating her. He was simply telling her their best possible strategy to pull this off and he needed her cooperation for that to work. That was why she was here.

This was a battle they need to finish as quickly as possible. She hadn't seen what happened before, but Jaune was clearly worse for wear. The back of his head was matted with blood and he was covered in numerous scuffs and cuts that his Aura was slowly, very slowly healing. That meant he must surely be about on empty. If they weren't careful he wouldn't even be able to continue going after his other sisters once they were done here.

"Well wait are you waiting for, big brother? I'm right here." Autumn held out her gauntlets and grinned innocuously. He hesitated for another moment. His mouth opened and then snapped shut, as if fighting with himself on how to proceed. "What? Having second thoughts?"

"I...have to ask you something." He took a deep breath and Ruby saw his eyes hardened with resolve. She didn't understand. He had questions for the swords? She just thought his only interest was in destroying them.

"Oh? Well hurry it up. Time is precious. Don't think I'm going to quit sniping just because we're talking either." Lightning surged through her chains again before once more scattering across the city.

"Why… didn't you chose me?"

"What?"

"Joan and I were five. Crocea Mors was compatible with her. However, you and Fia Vesta were still left. Why then, wasn't I chosen? Did you pass me up because you knew Rouge and Autumn would be better wielders? Or was I just not good enough?" His breath hitched and interrupted his words. "I've… always, always wondered what was wrong with me."

"Jaune…" Unconsciously she rested a hand on Crescent Rose. What would that be like? Being rejected by a weapon. She didn't even want to fathom if her baby wouldn't want to work for her.

Autumn gave a snort of amusement. "Seriously? That's what you want to know so badly that you'll continue letting this city get destroyed just to hear an answer?"

"It is." His blue eyes didn't break contact with her green ones.

The former giddiness slipped and she gave a tired sigh. After several moments of silence she held her massive gauntlets up, as if showing them off to him. "Let me start answering your question by asking one of my own. Are you really disappointed in having not been chosen? If I had chosen you, what do you think would be happening right now?"

The answer was obvious even if she didn't say it.

"Exactly. Autumn would be standing in your place right now and you would be the one over here wreaking havoc and trying to kill your sister. Is that what you're saying you want? You would rather your sister have had her hands ripped open so you could wear these protective gloves of mine."

"No! That's not what I'm-" His voice stopped abruptly, eyes darting around and mouth twisting unnaturally as he struggled for an answer.

"Don't make that expression, Jaune. I haven't even got to the best part yet. You're going to enjoy this. When you picked me up for the first time all those years ago, I got to look into your soul. I saw the very thing that made Jaune Arc who he is. Do you want to know what I saw?"

For a moment it looked like he was going to tell her no. Instead, he gave a small nod. The absolutely malignant smile that spread across Autumn's face made Ruby wish he hadn't. "I saw a boy that wanted to be a hero. He didn't want to be the damsel in distress. He didn't want to be the lovable idiot with mutilated hands while his sisters fought for their lives. That was his one and only wish."

"...Why would you reject someone for that!?" Ruby couldn't accept rejecting someone for that reason. Especially as someone that felt like that herself. She wanted to be a hero too, just like her mom.

"You don't get it? Just look at his face, he's figured it out." Ruby shot a quick glance at Jaune and then had to double take. His eyes were wide and shaking. One hand gripped the side of his face and his mouth was contorted, as if he was trying not to puke.

"That's right… Jaune. Deep, deep down. You wanted this to happen. So don't you feel good now? Your sisters have become the damsels in distress and you get to run around all over to try and save them. Who knows? Maybe you'll fall in love along the way? The hero always gets the girl, after all."

"Shut up! Jaune didn't ask for this!" Ruby's grip on Crescent Rose tightened and she nearly unhooked it from the clip just to unload a round. The only reason she didn't was because it wasn't really Autumn saying those words. "That doesn't even have anything to do with why you rejected him! She's playing mind games with you, Jaune!" She whirled on him and grabbed his elbow, trying to yank him out of it.

He didn't even turn to look at her, eyes continuing to stare ahead but not really seeing.

"It has everything to do with why he and I weren't compatible. Of all his siblings, he was the most twisted. He wanted to protect his sisters but for that to happen they had to need protecting."

"Wait-"

"Finally figure it out? It wasn't _I_ who rejected Jaune. It was _he_ who rejected me. It may have happened on a subconscious level, but that is the truth. Jaune instinctively made himself incompatible so that one day he might be placed in this very scenario. And would you look at that? It all worked out! Good for you."

Ruby refused to believe that.

Jaune wasn't like that.

A battle cry shattered the silence between the three of them and it wasn't until her Semblance activated and she vanished in a blur of roses that Ruby realized it was her screaming.

Jaune couldn't fight with his mind messed up like that. It was up to her to stop Autumn and bring her weapon to him. She would prove to him that he wasn't what Autumn said he was.

Autumn must have lost track of her but that didn't stop her from reacting all the same. She slammed the gauntlets together in front of herself and a pulse of energy surged all around her.

Ruby crossed her arms defensively and charged the pulse head on, pumping all her Aura reflectively to the front. She passed the energy surge without barely taking a dip in her reserves. Piece of cake! She skid to a stop just to the left of the orange-haired girl.

Autumn whirled and took half a step back but it wouldn't be quickly enough. Ruby unhooked Crescent Rose and clicked the mechanical shift.

Only for nothing to happen.

Crescent Rose didn't unfold into a scythe and remained locked in its collapsed form.

"Weapon malfunction?" Autumn had a malicious grin as her left gauntlet unfurled. Five orange glows appeared, one on the tip of each finger. On pure instinct, Ruby bent backwards.

That decision without a doubt saved her life as five streaks of lightning occupied the space where her head and upper torso had been not even a second before. The streaks bent and contorted, before lashing downwards.

They struck only at rose petals as Ruby dodged to the right. Crescent Rose was no good in this situation. Somehow, Autumn's lightning was messing with the mechanical functions of it. Odds are she couldn't even fire off a Dust bullet if she wanted to.

This left her with only one choice: Hand-to-hand combat. A year ago and that would have been unthinkable. She had been absolutely worthless without a weapon in hand. Even now she wasn't nearly as good as her sister. But she was far from helpless.

Her elbow blurred as her Semblance encompassed only her right arm. Autumn's head jerked to the side as Ruby successfully landed a high-speed punch that neither of their eyes were capable of tracking.

Autumn's eyes flared angrily and the fingers on her left hand began to glow just like on the right. Another five whips of lightning surged from the tips and lashed at where she was standing.

The ground sliced apart but Ruby was no longer in that spot, having already shifted to behind Autumn, foot raised high above their heads. She focused her Semblance only on that leg and it swung down at impossible speeds, leaving more rose petals behind as it chopped Autumn in the back of the head.

As she fell forward, the orange-haired girl twirled and swung all ten whips of lightning around, forming an orange electric tornado, slicing everything within ten feet of her into ribbons. Ruby had already used her Semblance to retreat to safety.

The chain that hung above Autumn's gauntlets and connected them together floated higher and pulled at them, catching and pulling her back up before her body even hit the ground. At the same time the links around the chain glowed brightly and all the beams of light that had been sniping into the city were suddenly focused right on Ruby, or rather right on the spot Ruby had landed. They had fired before she even finished coming to a stop, meaning either Autumn was beginning to keep up or her Semblance was capable of tracking even instantaneous movement.

This wasn't going to be as easy as she hoped. Autumn's gauntlets were way more versatile than she had expected, capable of covering both long and close range with equal devastation.

She needed Jaune.

Right now though, he needed time. That meant the only thing she could do was buy him as much as possible. That was the least she could do as his friend.

* * *

Ruby was fighting right now.

She was putting her life on the line to save his sister. It wasn't just her. So many others were fighting right now to help him. He should be doing the same, no even more than them. This was his job, both as Autumn's big brother, and the Glyph Bearer capable of destroying the swords.

Yet even knowing that, his feet were rooted to the ground. He couldn't move. He wanted to move, but for some reason he couldn't. It was taking all his willpower to even just stand up. The whole world felt like it was spinning and he thought he might throw up at any given moment.

He didn't deserve to be the one to save his sisters. But he was now the only one that could. All because of his own twisted hypocrisy. A choice he had willingly made all those years ago.

"What the Hell are you doing!?" A flash of pain on the cheek sent Jaune tumbling onto his butt.

Standing just over him with her fist extended was Yang Xiao Long.

Her partner, Blake, blurred past as barely a shadow as she went to aide their leader in battle. He didn't have time to linger on that thought as Yang forcefully grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and lifted him back up. "You better have a damn good reason for letting my sister fight while you hang back and do nothing." Her red eyes promised pain if she didn't like his answer.

"I-" his breath hitched. What could he say, what should he say? This whole scenario was just so messed up. What's more, it was possibly all caused by his decision. He wanted to be a hero but he needed someone to save. "This is all my fault."

"What?" Her scowl only deepened in confusion.

"I'm a horrible brother. All my life I thought I was being a good brother, but that wasn't true at all. My sisters will never forgive me." And that was what hurt the most, the idea that even if he saved his sisters they might not even want to see him again after all this.

"Are you an idiot?" Yang didn't even miss a beat. She knew as well as he did that they didn't have time to argue. "It's your fault, it's their fault. Shit like that isn't important. They _need_ you. So get off your ass and save your sister. If you did something you need to apologize for, then do it after." She let go of his shirt and he dropped back to the concrete.

Apologize? Was it even that simple? He honestly didn't know if it was, but he did know there was only one way to find out. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he needed to apologize. If he was going to have any chance of that though, he first needed to get off his butt and actually lend a hand.

Yang extended an open palm towards him, her former scowl replaced by a smirk. "So what's it gonna be, Lady Killer?"

He looked back at his sister. Ruby and Blake were just dodging around as whips of lightning tore the bridge apart, neither of their weapons drawn. Fortunately for them, their Semblances made them capable of shifting around quickly or his hesitance would have cost them their lives. Shaking that thought loose, he then looked back to Yang.

Without saying a word he reached forward and clasped her hand with a loud clap and she yanked him to his feet. "Good answer."

"Thanks." He had really needed that punch… and those words. It was an odd feeling. He had never had friends before that would get angry at him when he messed up or pick him up when he was down. His whole life it had been his sisters he had to rely on for that, and he didn't think he would ever even need friends. Now though, he was glad he had made some of his own.

Yang opened her mouth to respond but an ear-piercing shriek interrupted her and pulled both of their attentions back towards the battle against Autumn. Somehow in the struggle, Blake had got in the air and behind Autumn, liking through the use of her Semblance. Whatever had happened though, the chain of Luteus Oblido had ensnared her, probably thanks to Autumn's Semblance tracking where she was going to appear. And it wasn't holding back with its electric discharge.

"Blake!" Three voices overlapped at once, but none of their shouts were able to drown out Blake's screams.

Ruby was the closest and used her Semblance to bridge the remaining distance to her teammate. The whips of lightning that had been lashing in all directions had shrunk back into the gauntlets, forming two big orbs of energy. Autumn slammed the gauntlets together and a pulse of orange energy bowled Ruby backwards and sent her crashing onto the ground.

Energy continued to surge through Blake who remained suspended in the air, clothes tearing and skeleton becoming visible for seconds at a time. Jaune was already running and out of the corner of his eye he saw Yang sprinting desperately next to him.

They only had seconds before that lightning singed right through Blake's Aura and electrocuted her. He had one shot to get this right. Or he was going to lose one of the friends he had only finally just made.

"About time you make your move, big brother!" Autumn held up both gauntlets, palms facing outwards and right at him. A ball of energy formed in one before a huge streak of orange lightning shot directly at him. He held his left hand up.

 _Neow_

The lightning vanished.

The other gauntlet blasted its own bolt. Yang skipped just ahead and dove in front of him, arms crossed defensively. The orange streak struck, knocking her to the side and out of his path.

He didn't have the chance to turn around and see if she was okay. He had to believe that her Semblance absorbed most of the shock. She saved him a glyph charge so he could save Blake. He couldn't waste that opportunity.

"Why don't we find out if she is worth your life?" The lightning surging through Blake spiked and bolts rained down in all directions, searing into the concrete and forming a protective blockade, almost like a cage. She was absolutely right. He couldn't maneuver around that, not with the Aura he had left. It would kill him just to get to her.

He would have to burn a glyph charge and it would be almost a full thirty seconds before he had another. Blake would die long before than. Just as his mind failed to rack up a proper response he felt two small arms wrap around his waist and a cheek press against his back.

Ruby gave a small scream and activated her Semblance. Time appeared to slow for a fraction of a second. Rose petals burst around them and against his will he was lunged forward faster than he had ever moved before. Even the bolts of lightning appeared to only be crawling at this velocity.

They twisted and several of the bolts grazed just past the two of them. She pushed him forward and right to Autumn's extended gauntlet. His right hand glowed brightly and everything sped back up as they reached the end of their trajectory.

 _Neow_

His glowing right hand gripped Luteus Oblido by the wrist. Autumn's mouth opened in a voiceless screech as the entire gauntlet began to glow bright white. The blindly light trailed up the chain, link at a time, and reached the other arm, before that one too was enveloped.

Then all at once the entire thing shattered.

Fragments of light that looked like miniature stars filled the area around them, and one at a time they went out. Autumn's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed forward, right into her brother's open arms. With nothing holding her up, Blake's body fell straight down and Ruby barely managed to catch her.

Jaune wrapped his arms tightly around his sister and sunk to his knees. Autumn's head lulled on his shoulder and he could feel her soft breaths and the beating of her heart against his chest.

Autumn was free. He had two of his sisters back. And now there was only Five Sacred Arc Swords.

Unlike with Rouge, her eyes didn't open right away and she remained unconscious. Rather, it seemed more like she was sleeping than anything. He wanted to wake her up and talk to his sister again. Tell her everything was alright now and that nothing was her fault. This was all his responsibility. For now though, maybe it would be better if she slept.

"Blake! Blake!" Ruby shook her teammate desperately, tears threatening to fall as she placed an ear up against her chest. "She doesn't have a pulse!"

...Had he been too late?

"Move!" Yang scrambled past him and up to her partner. She checked her wrist but almost immediately threw it back to the ground before crouching over her partner, slapping her lightly on the cheeks. "Hey, this isn't funny, Blake. Get up. Open your eyes right this damn second!" She slapped a little harder but still got no reaction.

Blake's chest wasn't rising and falling and her eyes would not open. Her skin was burnt in multiple places and clothes were torn. The bow that always hid her cat ears had been ripped to shreds and the feline appendages bled slightly.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Yang's breathing grew increasingly more erratic and she nudged Ruby to the side, getting directly over her partner's chest. "You're going to live, Blake. You're going to live." She placed both hands over Blake's chest and begin giving chest compressions in an attempt to resuscitate her.

Jaune could only watch with wide eyes. Blake... had just sacrificed herself to help him. She jumped in the moment she got here, simply eager to repay her debt to his sisters for steering the White Fang back on the right path. And this was the thanks she got for that?

"Blake! Wake your ass up! This isn't the time for a stupid catnap! Hey! You listening to me!?" Yang gasped for breath. Her sister clung to her arm desperately, tears running down her face.

The index finger on his left hand gave a small twitch. Thirty seconds had passed and that glyph was up again.

...And he could feel it resonating.

Hesitantly he reached forward and up to one of Blake's ankles. The glyph on his hand began glowing. He gently rested that hand on her skin.

 _Neow_

With a surge of light the glyph did its work.

And Blake's eyes shot open as she sucked in a huge gasp of air.

"Blake!" The poor girl didn't even get the chance to figure out what had happened before she was lifted up and brought into what looked like a bone-crushing group-hug between the two sisters.

Her yellow eyes stared imploring into his for answers but he could only give a small, relieved smile and shrug. He had almost lost her, a friend. It surprised him a little to learn that the idea hurt him nearly as much as the idea of losing one of his sisters. He really, truly, was grateful to these girls.

"W-what did you do?" Yang relinquished the hug just enough to turn and look at him, still keeping her partner close.

"Oblido must have left behind some kind of Ambient energy that was still shocking her system and stopping her heart. Even when I destroy the swords, the things they did don't disappear." If that had been the case, all the fire Fia Vesta caused would've been put out when he destroyed it, but the village had continued to burn. "So I shattered that energy and once it was gone, Blake's system started back up by itself."

"Thank you, thank you so much." Yang pulled Blake close once again and began to stroke her hair.

Jaune's smile grew a little bigger before it almost immediately slipped back down. He wasn't done yet. There were still three more sisters causing havoc. As gently as he could, he lowered Autumn to the ground. "If she wakes up… please take care of her."

"Jaune?"

"Where do you think you're going?"

Ruby and Yang called respectively as he got back to his feet.

"Tell Autumn none of this was her fault. Make sure she knows how sorry I am." He didn't respond to their questions, already turning and walking back towards the battles he had left behind.

"You can barely move! What do you think you're going to do?" That was a good question. His Aura was pretty much shot, having burned through it just to propel himself here. He didn't have the luxury to worry about that, however.

Hands clenched tightly, he slowly tilted his head back to face them. With as much determination as he could, he flashed them his most confident smile. "I don't know. But I'll figure something out."

"Just, take care of Autumn until I get back."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Two swords down. Five to go.

Luteus Oblido is actually the last sword (Yes, I know they're gauntlets) I came up with and had the most difficulty in deciding its ability. I bounced around between a lot of different designs, including a lance or halberd, and a chain-mace that controlled gravity among other things. In the end, I decided on lightning for its ability because it complimented Autumn's Semblance well and gave her more of an artillery/sniper purpose among the group rather than focusing on close-quarters combat.

As for why I decided on gauntlets, it actually had to do with this being the last of the swords Jaune really had the chance to question. With Crocea Mors having chosen Joan, him already breaking Fia Vesta, and the rest being wielded by his other sisters, Luteus Oblido was the only one he could ask about why he hadn't been chosen. So it felt right to make that weapon one that encompassed and protected your hands... in contrast to Jaune's which were exposed and weak from having been inscribed with the shatter glyphs. So yep, a little bit on my thoughts for them.

Moving onto the omake, prompt requested by Aegir01

* * *

 **Omake 12**

 _The Birth of Twins_

* * *

The miracle of childbirth.

That was what they called it.

Violet didn't really understand why it was referred to as a miracle. Wasn't a miracle something that couldn't be explained or happened only once in awhile? Regardless of your definition of it, even at seven years old, Violet already had doubts of the legitimacy of calling such a thing as childbirth a miracle.

After all, this was the fifth time her mother was about to give birth. Violet may have been first but she certainly hadn't been the last. And every time a new sister popped up it felt like their home became smaller and smaller. Their once open house became cramped and crowded. All of the toys that used to be hers were suddenly getting passed around and destroyed before she even knew they were gone.

Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't been expected to help take care of them. Why should she have to do that? Just because she was the eldest she had to take care of the others? How was that fair? She didn't ask to be born first... and she surely hadn't asked to have any other sisters born after her either.

She had been four when Olivia was born so she hadn't been asked to do too much while their mother was pregnant with her. But apparently seven was old enough to be expected to look after her younger sisters. Violet was convinced that they weren't even little girls at all and were instead monsters that had taken the shape of girls.

No matter what she did or how she did it, those little brats didn't seem to appreciate her one bit. She tried to make sure they all took a bath in an orderly fashion only for Ciel and Amethyst to start splashing battles and soaking the entire bathroom. Which of course she had to clean up.

She tried to put them to bed on time only for them to talk, giggle, and wail away for hours. She barely got any sleep most nights herself before she had to wake up at the crack of dawn to begin her sword training for the day.

Don't even get her started about trying to eat a meal without them completely covering the dining room with the food she barely managed to cook without burning to a crisp.

So yeah, she was not looking forward to having more sisters. Even better, her mom was having twins this time.

Joy…

She couldn't wait to have two more little screaming monsters keeping her up all night. It wouldn't have been so bad if their father was ever home and not off saving the world with that sword of his. Maybe she could start doing missions with him instead of being stuck here? Fighting Grimm had to be less of a nightmare than this was. Maybe there were even moments of peace and serenity?

There of course wouldn't be any peace tonight as her mother finished giving birth to the twins. Violet knew they must have come into the world because of the wails coming from her mother's room. If those newborns didn't keep it down they were going to wake up the others, who Violet had finally just gotten to fall asleep too.

"Violet." The midwife creaked the door to her mother's room open and waved her closer. "Come see your new siblings."

"Okay." Violet forced the biggest grin she could, trying not to show the signs of obvious exhaustion in her orange eyes. Even if she hated it, she couldn't let anyone else know. It was important for Arc's to always keep up appearances. That's what her father always said.

She strolled into the room only for the obnoxious wails of the twins to get even louder. It took every muscle in Violet's face not to grimace and instead approach her mother with an empathetic expression.

"Ah... Violet." Her mother gave an exhausted smile, her green eyes flickering off the twins for a moment and to her eldest daughter. Her red hair with uncanny natural purple highlights was damp with sweat and yet she somehow looked completely satisfied. "Are the others asleep already?"

"Yes, mother." Violet gave a small nod to her question. She stared at the two twins, one in each of her mother's arms. Blonde hair this time, and what looked like blue eyes but it was hard to tell while they were screaming.

"Here Violet, why don't you hold your brother for me?" Her mother extended one of the twins towards her but Violet's brain had stopped at the unusual word that left her mouth.

...Brother?

"You don't mean sister?"

Her mother gave a soft giggle. "Nope. This time you only got one new sister. Her name is Joan." She hefted the other twin slightly. "This little guy here is your younger brother, Jaune. He's mighty fussy though. Came out crying. Joan hardly made a peep until he worked her up."

Gently, almost curiously, Violet reached forward and grabbed the bundle that was her new baby brother.

As she lifted him from her mother's arm and placed him against her chest, gently cradling him, his insistent wails pittered to a stop in only a matter of moments. As he quit crying, his twin sister also ceased her screams.

"Amazing…" The midwife behind her spoke in just above a whisper.

"He must really like you, Violet." Her mother said this was a gentle smile and a mischievous twinkle in her green eyes.

"He... likes me?" Violet stared into his now clearly blue eyes and he looked back up at her. His little hands hung in the air as if reaching for her.

"That's right. He must have known you've had it rough so decided to quiet down for his eldest sister." Her mother nodded as if this made perfect sense. "After all, he's a boy. So he's different from the rest of you. When he gets older it'll be his job to take care of you all."

"I see." He was expected to take care of them? Because he was a boy? In a way, that wasn't much different than her, having to take care of the others because she was the eldest.

Jaune and her. They were different from the rest of their sisters. They had to be the ones to look after them. Who would look after them then? The answer was pretty obvious, wasn't it? They just had to look after one another.

For some reason, this brought a feeling of warmth to her stomach. She wasn't alone anymore in her responsibilities. She finally had a sibling that was something more than just for her to look after. He was someone she could one day cherish as an equal.

"Jaune." Violet lifted him higher and gently snuggled her cheek against him, causing the baby to giggle. "I'll protect you, Jaune." And in turn he would protect her.

Her precious little brother.


	17. One Step Forward

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _One Step Forward_

* * *

How did people survive without having their Aura unlocked?

As someone that had their Aura forcibly opened when they were seven years old, Jaune couldn't even remember what it was like to not have it ready and at his disposal. If it was anything like what he was feeling right now though, those first seven years of his life must have been an absolute Hell.

He gasped desperately for breath and doubled over, placing one hand on the side of a flipped vehicle just to maintain balance. The most embarrassing part… he had barely covered any ground since he started running. He was only about halfway back to where he had left Olivia and CFVY.

The freeway was all but deserted now. The roads were unusable and most of the people had fled, leaving only the dead and flaming vehicles behind. It should have been easy for him to maneuver through the wreckage, but without enough Aura to pump through his body he felt the shock in his calfs with every step he took. The open cuts on his cheek and arms burned as the wind brushed against them.

The scars on his hands felt like they were on fire, in such a way it reminded him of when they had originally been ripped open. He had no idea how much pain his Aura had actually been sparing him from this whole time. This was just ridiculous.

And he still had to break three more swords tonight? He'd probably keel over on exhaustion alone, never mind having to dodge around his sisters' attacks.

The Ice Beowulf continued its destructive rampage through the city but without Autumn's sniping support, more and more military backup was actually making it closer to the massive monster. Although now that he looked again, wasn't it kind of heading more in this direction than before?

He shook the thought loose and sweat flew off his blonde hair, some of it dripping into his eyes. With a small hiss of pain he brought his fingers up and wiped the salty liquid to the side. And as his vision blurred back into focus he was greeted to the sight of a golden wave of energy flying right at him.

Oh shit!

He dove to the side, much more sluggishly than ordinarily, not even able to properly dodge without pumping Aura into his feet. He hit the ground and rolled back to a crouch as the beam of light enveloped the ground where he had just been standing, catching the car in its path and causing it to burst into flames.

As he straightened back out and turned forward, his blood ran cold. Two girls were slowly walking towards him, one with blonde hair and the other with green. Their eyes were cast towards the ground and weapons were drawn, but hung almost limply.

Olivia dragged her giant claymore against the concrete behind her, causing sparks to flickr and a loud grating noise. Joan was practically swaying back and forth, her sword and shield swinging with the momentum. Finally, they stopped about twenty feet away from him and when they looked up he could easily see the raw, burning hatred in their eyes.

They knew he had destroyed Luteus Oblido.

"...What did you do to the others?" However, he didn't know what they had done to their opponents. The fact that there were here now though…

"I don't know, Joan? What did you do to your old teammates?" Olivia smirked cruelly and glanced sideways at her sister.

"Oh, but I would much rather hear about what you did to those underclassmen of yours first, Olivia." Joan returned the banter, voice dripping with venomous sarcasm.

"Well you know, I don't think they were doing very well… or were they?" Olivia tilted her head to the side and appeared to legitimately ponder on their well-being. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about those three losers we ran into on the way here! What did we do to them again?"

"Ah, I wonder…" Joan placed the tip of her sword on her chin and gazed upwards.

"I'm asking you what the Hell did you do!?" Jaune yelled so loud he swore he could feel his vocal cords tear.

"Maybe the same thing you did to Autumn? In your words, I guess you could say we set them free." Joan appeared absolutely delighted by his enraged reaction.

Something inside him snapped. This whole time they had been killing people. Their home village, their country, their family, but now they would even kill their friends.

He pushed off the ground so hard it felt like his ankles would snap from the pressure. His mouth opened to scream but no sound came out. The edges of his vision blurred with red and the only distinct thing he could make out anymore was the pair of swords in front of him.

Joan's sword glowed gold for but a moment before discharging another blastwave. Olivia's own sword began glowing at the same time.

 _Neow_

His glyphs shattered both Joan's energy attack and Olivia's illusion simultaneously. He had thirty seconds before he could use either one again, which might as well have been the worst possible situation he could be in.

But he didn't have time to worry about that.

He reached Joan first and leapt in the air, twirling his body around and lashing a foot out in a spinning kick. Predictably, one of Joan's barriers was already up and the back of his foot collided with it. The plan was to kick off that barrier and flip over it. The problem with that plan was he needed Aura to propel him up as high as necessary.

Instead he fell horribly short and crashed face first into the barrier before tumbling backwards and onto his butt. "What's the matter, bro?" Olivia was already around the side of the barrier and swinging her claymore down at him. "Feeling tired?"

He rolled to the side and the claymore split the concrete. He stumbled to his feet but a jolt of pain in his left ankle caused him to fall back to his knees. Which also inadvertently saved his life as a slash of horizontal golden energy flew over him and right in the spot his head would've been. If he got hit by one of Joan's light attacks without Aura he would disintegrate for sure.

He never realized how much his whole fighting style relied so heavily on Aura and the boons it granted. It wasn't wrong to say that he was quite literally helpless without its assistance. Which unfortunately he really, really needed right about now.

Olivia lifted her claymore back up and stabbed forward. He dove backwards and barely managed to keep from getting disemboweled but his sloppy dodge left him once more floundering on his back. "This time we've got you!" Joan raised her sword high above her head, golden energy once again swirling around it.

 _Crack_

A loud gunshot echoed in the distance and a moment later a small spark ricocheted off Crocea Mors, knocking it to the side and skewing its light attack in a random direction. That gunshot without a doubt came from the direction he had just left.

It must have been Ruby.

Somehow she had already managed to fix the mechanical damage to Crescent Rose caused by Luteus Oblido and was covering him with sniper fire. She wasn't called a prodigy for nothing, that was for sure.

Thanks to her support he finally managed to get back to his feet, but even then he wasn't sure what else he could do. First he had to wait for his charges to come back up. Both glyphs had fifteen seconds. After that, he just needed to get close.

Olivia's illusions wouldn't affect Ruby from this distance so he just had to hope she sniped her sword the moment he was caught. If she did that he wouldn't have to waste one charge. Then it was just a matter of getting close enough to break it. Once that was done, the trickiest part would be getting around Joan's barrier without enhanced capabilities.

He could still make this work. He could still save another sister before this violence got any worse.

The ground shook roughly, interrupting his thoughts and pulling his attention. He had been so focused on his sisters and them on him that neither side had realized the massive Ice Beowulf had lumbered over to them. Now one of its giant claws was swinging down, and it didn't look the least bit concerned that it was going to catch its allies in the crossfire.

"Move you Dunce!" A yellow glyph appeared beneath his feet and he felt the gravity around him lighten exponentially. As if he was suddenly weightless he jumped back and flew through the air, easily dodging the Beowulf's claw.

The freeway shattered apart, concrete and vehicles raining down onto the earth below. If it had been unusable before, the damage now was beyond catastrophic. It would take weeks to repair the damage just caused by only that one swing.

He landed nimbly outside of the wreckage point and just next to Weiss, who had cast the glyph that literally saved his life. "Thanks." He nodded at her, but didn't rip his eyes away from the destruction in front of him.

There was now a gaping gap that split the freeway in half. They were on one end and his two sisters were on the edge of the other. The ice Beowulf towered over both groups. He only had five seconds on his glyphs. If he could just touch that thing with an active charge it would be enough to dismantle its entire being.

"What happened to Pyrrha and the others?" He could only shake his head at her question. He still didn't know but right now he wasn't the most hopeful. "...I see." Her voice at first sounded cold, almost uncaring, but there was an underlying tremor to it, and he knew she must have been just as worried about them as he was, no… she had to be more worried than he was. She was their friend, even if they hadn't been talking lately.

Either way, they couldn't be wondering about the fate of others right now. They needed to take care of themselves first. The issue was he still wasn't sure if it would be more pragmatic to go for the Beowulf or the swords first. With Weiss helping him and Ruby covering them he might actually have a shot at this now, Aura or not.

"I think that's enough for tonight!" That was of course not taking into account Ciel who just popped up behind his other two sisters.

"About time! And tell that giant mutt of yours to watch where it's swinging." Olivia flicked her hair and her eyes turned towards their eldest sister present.

"What do you mean "enough?" We're not done yet." Joan kept her blue eyes trained on him, the murderous glare still ever persistent. "Now that Goodwitch isn't in the way this should be easy."

"And who said I wasn't in the way?" He wasn't sure what was happening, but the destroyed freeway appeared to be repairing itself. And riding up on one of the concrete blocks was an unharmed Glynda Goodwitch. As all the pieces clicked back in place and road became completely restored, she took her spot defensively in front of her two students.

"Ah… I was really hoping I lost you too." Ciel gave an exhausted sigh.

"Ciel!"

"What's going on here!?"

Her two younger sisters yelled in unison.

"Look, she was tougher than I gave her credit for, alright! I don't think I can beat her by myself. Once I felt Autumn die, I decided to retreat. So we're getting out of here."

"We can't just leave! He's right in front of us and he doesn't have any Aura left! He's easy pickings!" Joan pointed at him dramatically with the tip of her blade.

"We can't get past Goodwitch easily and without Autumn's support the military will have us surrounded in moments. I can only hold off so much by myself. We might be able to kill him tonight but it'll get us captured in the process. We've gotta accept the loss while we're still ahead."

"We're more behind than when we started!"

Jaune had heard enough of their internal arguing. "If you think I'm letting you go anywhere than you've got another thing coming!" He had already let them get away once. He couldn't let that happen again.

"I must agree with Mr Arc." Glynda adjusted her glasses. "You've caused far too much destruction to just be let go."

"I wasn't exactly asking for your opinions." Ciel swung her dagger horizontally and a wave of icicles flew at them. Glynda flicked her riding crop and just a few feet in front of them the icicles stopped hard, hanging suspended in midair.

A wave of golden energy flew at them next. Jaune skipped in front of Glynda and raised up his left hand.

 _Neow_

The lightwave vanished, but his sisters were still visible. His glyph wasn't glowing in reaction so Olivia hadn't trapped them in an illusion yet which would be critical for them to escape. The moonlight above him blacked out and he stretched his neck to see the Ice Beowulf once more swinging down at them.

Glynda was still too busy controlling Ciel's former attack and there was no way Weiss could stop that thing by herself. He had no choice but to use a glyph charge on it. Another one of Weiss' sigils appeared beneath his feet and once again he felt weightless. He jumped up and met the Beowulf's swing midway.

 _Neow_

As his glyph touched its massive claw, the whole thing began to glow such a bright white that night appeared to turn day. And then just like that, the Beowulf vanished, almost like it had never even been there.

As he fell towards the ground, his sisters were nowhere in sight. Olivia had cast her illusion the second both his glyphs were down.

"Get back, Mr Arc!" He didn't think twice to jump at Glynda's words and retreated to her side. Without his glyphs the three of them were completely prone to being attacked while trapped in Olivia's illusion.

The fire from the flaming wreckage around them bent and twisted, forming a tornado of blistering heat that completely shielded them from the outside. The radiating heat was so powerful, Jaune had to squint his eyes and legs went weak. He stumbled and nearly fell forward.

"Are you okay?" Weiss leaned over and offered him an arm for support.

"He's suffering from a lack of Aura." Glynda gave him an apologetic glance. "I know this flame is rough on you without your natural protection but please bear with it until you can shatter her illusion."

He gave a small nod, not trusting his own throat to properly function inside this inferno. After only another several seconds of it though and his first glyph came back up. However, it did not glow in reaction to an illusion and he could feel the presence of the swords fading.

Glynda's defensive fire cyclone puttered out of existence but his sisters were nowhere in sight. In a last desperate attempt, he ran to the side of the freeway and scanned the ground below him. Nothing. Just death and destruction.

Damn it, damn it. Once again he had let his sisters get away.

"...They're gone."

* * *

Rouge couldn't stand this.

Her brother, friends, everyone was fighting right now. Even this far removed from the city, standing on Beacon's helipad, she could feel the tremors and hear the explosions. There was even a slight hint of smoke in the air now too.

And yet she was relegated here, unable to leave and do anything but clasp her hands together in prayer and just beg to whoever would listen that everyone came back okay, including her still missing sisters. She knew it was going to be this way, ever since Ozpin and her brother had made that agreement. And while it was true that this was better than sitting in some cell, she didn't feel any more free than if she had been. Not right now, anyways.

The dull roar of a Bullhead in the distance reached her ears and she craned her neck in a vain attempt to find it. The sky was still too dark and the moon was obscured by clouds now, making it impossible to see beyond the flickering lights of the helipad. She didn't catch sight of even the bullhead's headlights until it was practically overtop of her and the roar of its engine was almost deafening.

It gently touched down on one of the several landing pads. Just before Rouge could run forward though, at least a dozen other men rushed past her, carrying stretchers, medical supplies, and other assorted equipment. Her eyes widened in horror and she hurried after them.

"Big brother!" She called, trying to crane her neck over the medical teams' shoulders in an attempt to see her brother or anyone from her family. With a loud hiss, the back of the bullhead slid open and the medics raced inside, shouting all sorts of commands and giving diagnostics.

Those voices drifted in one ear and out the other as the familiar smell of blood reached her. There… there was so much of it. She couldn't even see it but she could tell. Just like back then. Exactly like that night.

"No…" She gripped the side of her head and began to shake it back and forth. "No, no, no, no!" Every time she said that word her voice got a little louder and became increasingly more shrill. The world started spinning and she lost her balance, crumpling to her knees.

She could see it. She could see them. The raging inferno as it spun around her. The charred bodies of all the people she killed. It was happening again. People were being massacred again.

"Hey! What's wrong!?" A large hand wrapped around her shoulders and gently lifted her up. Through her distorted vision she was able to make out the form of Cardin Winchester, one of the people that had gone to help her brother.

Desperately she clung to his plate armor. "M-my brother… where is my big brother?" She choked on her own voice but still somehow managed to get those words out.

Cardin made a grimace that practically caused her heart to stop. "I… don't know. We split off from him and in all the chaos we never got back in touch." Her face dropped and he almost immediately started back up. "I-I'm sure he's fine! The rest of my team went with him! I know they're not the most reliable guys but they kept him safe, I promise."

Slowly, Rouge nodded to his words. Her brother was fine. He absolutely had to be fine. If he wasn't fine, she would truly be all alone. She didn't want to be alone. She couldn't take being left alone, without any of her siblings.

The medics raced by the two of them, carrying at least five people away on stretchers. If they had been brought here then they must have been students. Had that many been injured trying to save her sisters? Were they even all alive?

"...Ruby!?" She turned back to Cardin but he once more shook his head. Just behind him, she saw the rather large upperclassman lumber forward. Leaning on him for support… was Pyrrha Nikos. Then the ones that had just been carted away were their teammates?

Yatsuhashi continued to move after his teammates, but it was clear he was favoring one leg over the other and he had a rather large piece of gauze wrapped around his head that was turning red. Pyrrha appeared physically unharmed but her green eyes looked lifeless, staring only blankly ahead.

The two of them limped past just as the sound of a second approaching bullhead finally reached them. Both Cardin and Rouge turned to see it hovering overhead and lowering towards the next pad over. "I bet your brother is there, come on." Cardin must have been just as worried about his teammates, but he did a good job not showing it.

He gripped her shoulder gently but at the same time with just enough strength to properly support her. Together the two of them made their way over to the other bullhead as yet another medic team rushed up to it.

"Big brother…" Rouge tried to once again sprint forward but Cardin held her back in place.

"Let them get the injured off. Your brother is fine, and even if he's hurt, they'll help him." He said this firmly, almost in such a way that scared her.

Glynda Goodwitch stepped off the bullhead and began giving orders as the medics rushed passed her, doing their best to quickly comply. She must have caught Cardin and Rouge out of the corner of her eye because the moment she was done with her commands she waved them forward.

As they approached, four more people were brought out on stretchers. She heard Cardin suck in his breath as he undoubtedly recognized all three of his teammates on them. Following just behind the last one was Yang, and it looked to be her partner, Blake, laying on the top of it.

The last to walk off the bullhead were their other two teammates. "Ruby!" Rouge cried in relief and broke free from Cardin's hold as she made a dash for her friend.

"Rouge!" Ruby spread her arms wide just in time and only stumbled back a little as Rouge tackled into and wrapped her in a tight embrace.

"You're okay, you're okay." Rouge fought back a sob as she clung to her best friend. It was almost unthinkable that someone as young as her had gone after the rest of her sisters, and actually came back okay. Especially when so many others were injured.

"Of course I'm okay." Ruby returned the hug full force. "I'm gonna to keep going until the end. You can bet nothing is going to stop me until all your sisters are safe." Rouge instinctively squeezed just a little tighter at her words, not trusting her voice to say anything else at the moment.

"My team?" Cardin came up just behind them.

"They're alive." Weiss began to fill him in as she led him after the medical team. "Russell got hit by an explosion. I didn't see what happened to the others but they must have been ambushed leading the civilians to safety."

Glynda turned back to the bullhead as a green-haired professor walked out of it. "Thank you, Doctor Oobleck. I wasn't sure we would get retrieved in time if you and Peter hadn't flown over personally."

The man adjusted his glasses and gave a thumbs up along with a huge grin. "Think nothing of it, Glynda. We will always lend assistance if you call for it."

"Pass my thanks onto Peter and get some rest. I'll handle the report to Ozpin." Oobleck nodded as the two teachers began to stroll away, Glynda giving them one last look before she left.

The relief for her friend's safety finally began to ebb away, and Rouge realized one very important person had yet to get off either ship, either on foot or stretcher. "Where's big brother?"

Thankfully, Ruby's face didn't twist in grimace but she did give a rather awkward smile. "He's relieving his stomach on the ship still. I honestly don't know how he's even still able to puke. Where does it all come from?" That was something Rouge always wondered herself. She just chalked it up to part of the family curse as it wasn't a particular problem only one of them seemed to have, but rather they all did.

"...Did he, did he save any of our sisters?" This whole thing wasn't for nothing, was it? All those people hadn't been hurt for no reason, right?

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Her brother's voice called from the edge of the bullhead. He stood completely straight, a small grin on his face. Cradled in his arms in a princess carry was her big sister.

"Autumn!" Rouge took a couple hesitant steps forward. Was this true? He had truly, actually, freed another one of them? She looked real. It really looked like it was her in his arms. Her vision blurred out of focus and she gave a small choked sob, but a huge smile spread across her face.

"I'm...uhh… gonna go check on Blake. Let you guys have your reunion and stuff." Ruby mumbled awkwardly before Rouge heard a hum that meant she vanished, leaving only rose petals behind.

It was just the three siblings now.

Jaune walked forward and right up to Rouge before kneeling down gently. "She's still asleep. Which might be a good thing since we just had to fly back to Beacon. I doubt she wanted to spend her just-got freedom puking."

Rouge couldn't help it and let out a small giggle. "You're probably right."

"...I'm sorry, Rouge." His tone became immediately somber. "If I was stronger I could have saved more of them tonight. At my current strength though, this was the most I could manage. Even when I freed you, that was the best I could do. In the end, maybe I'm just not cut out for this?"

He had to know that wasn't true. The way Rouge saw it, he was the only one cut out for this. He was the glyph bearer, yes, but more importantly than that, he was their brother. She was positive that no one was better suited to save them than him.

She opened her mouth to tell him just that but another voice beat her to it. "You're… too hard on yourself as usual, big brother." Autumn let out a small moan as she lifted her head up. "It's my job to give you a hard time, remember? That way you don't have to."

"Autumn!" The two of them exclaimed in sync. Her green eyes slowly opened and she gave them a weak smirk.

"Hey. You have better been taking good care of Rouge while I was away, you hear me?" Despite having only just finally regained consciousness, she still had a spark to her. That was amazing, and it wasn't something Rouge had been capable of.

"Big brother... has been taking great care of me." Rouge had to wipe away more tears as they began to fall. "Just like he always does."

"Good." Autumn gave a small nod. "Not that I expected anything less. He's always doted on you, after all."

"Autumn…" Jaune could only repeat her name, just above a whisper as he pulled her more closely to him.

"...I feel like I've had a Hell of a nightmare." Autumn slowly brought her hand up and rested the palm of it against Jaune's cheek. "I barely remember any of it right now. There is one thing I clearly recall though, and that was you charging recklessly across a whole city just to save me."

Tears rolled down Jaune's cheek and she gently began to stroke them away. "You… didn't wish for any of this, big brother. Even if you did reject the swords, you never wanted us to be in any danger. I know this."

"H-how can you say that so confidently?" He shook his head from side to side but Autumn didn't stop stroking his cheek.

Instead she smiled as brightly as possible. "Isn't that obvious? It's because I'm also your little sister. And no matter how mean I ever was, you always kept on loving me. There's no way you would have ever wanted me to get hurt just so you could be a hero."

His eyes widened slightly before closing tightly once again, even more tears than before running down his face. He lifted Autumn and little higher to him and bumped his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes and the smile across her face at that moment was one of peace.

"Thank you, Autumn… thank you."

Rouge wasn't sure what their conversation just now was about. She did know one thing though. Whatever Autumn had just told him…

He had really needed those words.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Prompt for the omake by TheLittleJimmy.

* * *

 **Omake 13**

 _Jaune got a Date_

* * *

"Alright, sis! I'm heading out!" Jaune pulled on a leather jacket that must have surely been some hand-me-down from their father and straightened out his blonde hair once more in the mirror before giving a bright smile.

"Okay…" Joan looked her brother up and down. "...Where are you going again?" Maybe she should have been paying more attention the first time he said, instead of reading her book. It just hadn't seemed all that important before now. In the sixteen years they spent together, Jaune almost never went out and when he did it was just to run some errand. Something about this felt different though.

"You forgot already?" She imagined he should have sounded a little frustrated, instead he simply appeared elated to be able to tell her again. "Well get this! I got myself a date!" He hiked a thumb towards his chest proudly.

"..."

"..."

"...What?"

"I know! I'm kinda surprised too!" He turned towards the door and flung it open. "Well, wish me luck, sis! I don't wanna be late!" He gave a small wave before shutting the door behind him.

She could only stare blankly at the spot he just left.

Think. Think about this rationally. Jaune just said he had a date. As in with a girl?

With mom? No, no, why would he call it a date if he was hanging out with mom? That was just weird.

Okay, let's back up a couple steps here. He had certainly dressed up for the occasion, forgoing his usual training attire. He still kept the wraps on though. He was clearly very, very, and she meant very excited.

All the signs were pointing to only one conclusion.

 _Ring_

 _Ring_

"Hello?" Ciel's face popped up on the screen of her scroll before she even realized she was calling someone.

"Jaune got a date."

"..."

"..."

"...What?"

"I'm not actually sure."

"Is this some kind of prank? Cause if it is, you're going to have to try harder than that to get me. I'm kinda the queen of those in our family."

"I think I'm being serious."

"...Olivia!" Ciel turned her head away from the screen and called further outside of it. It looked like she was in Beacon's cafeteria right now.

"Yes?" Olivia's green hair dangled just on the outskirts of the screen before it tilted up to her. "Why hello, Joan. How are you today?"

"I'm not actually sure anymore." She didn't know what to think about anything.

"Oh? What's wrong?"

"Get this, get this." Ciel cut in before she could answer. "Joan says Jaune has got a date!"

"..."

"..."

"...What?"

Jaune would probably be having a field day after getting that reaction so many times.

"It's crazy, right! I think Joan is pulling a fast one on us!"

"I'm being serious!" Joan slammed a hand on the table and glared at her scroll. "He was wearing some old leather jacket and everything! He looked really geeked up about it too!"

Ciel and Olivia shared a look. "...Wait? Old leather jacket?"

"Did it look like something father might wear?"

Joan quirked an eyebrow at Olivia's question. "Yeah? How did you know?"

The two older sisters shared yet another look before glancing back at her. "That's father's lucky jacket… supposedly he wore it on his first date with mother. If Jaune's wearing that…"

"I'm adding Vi to the call. She's got to hear this." Ciel was already punching away at her scroll.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." Olivia tried to reach over and stop her.

"Yeah, she's on some super important mission right now." Joan could only attempt to coerce her out with words but even she knew it wouldn't do any good.

 _Ring_

 _Ring_

"Ciel, you better have a good reason to call me." Violet's angry orange eyes stared into the screen as it split in half to show both ends of the call. "I'm about to guard one of Vale's councilmen on a diplomatic mission. If this is for some prank…"

"Jaune's got a date!"

"..."

"..."

"...I'm on my way home."

" _Right now_?"

"Immediately."

"What about the councilman!?"

"They'll figure it out."

"And what're you going to do when you get here?"

"I'm going to _talk_ to Jaune's date." That's what Violet said but it certainly didn't look like she had any intention of talking. More like interrogate.

"You don't-"

"I'll be there as soon as I can." With a click, Violet hung up, cutting Joan off.

Oh no.

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

"...I hope for your sake, Amy is home." Ciel looked ready to bust a gut with laughter but she did offer good advice. If anyone could stop Violet than it was Amethyst.

"I gotta go!" She hung up and sprinted out of her room. "Aaaaamy!"

* * *

"This is insane." Amethyst grumbled as her and Joan wandered around town, looking for any sign of their brother. "I don't know what you expect me to do against Violet. She's a monster."

"You're the only one that even has a shot against her." Joan pleaded and began to shake her arm.

"You better hope Violet doesn't bring Ostum Tempus or we're both screwed." She wouldn't put it past Violet either. She always did get really protective of Jaune after all.

This wasn't how she planned to spend her day off either. It was hard getting any downtime between Huntress missions. Jaune owed her. Maybe this date of his had an older sister? Even if she didn't, he was totally going to be her wingman at the next concert she went to, and he wouldn't be allowed to complain.

"Maybe we should text Jaune after all?" Joan pulled out her scroll and hovered over it hesitantly.

"The whole point of stopping Violet is to _not_ interrupt his date. It would be pointless if we texted him in the middle of it." Although it would probably be good to give him a heads up in case they failed, which they most likely would.

"Uh oh." Joan stopped in her tracks and blue eyes were wide and shaking. Amethyst followed her gaze and the moment she saw where she was looking, her blood ran cold. Violet was standing directly in front of them. One hand was placed on her hip and the other was gripping the hilt of Ostrum Tempus which was fortunately still sheathed.

"Yeah… Joan. You should probably text Jaune _now_."

* * *

"Wow, you're pretty good at this!"

Jaune grinned brightly at the compliment as he hopped off the step pad for the Dance Dance Revolution Machine.

So far he thought he wasn't doing half bad.

Sure he had been a mess when trying to talk to her at first but once he got here in the arcade he just let his skills do the talking. At least his dancing skills. He wasn't very good at the fighting games which she creamed him in. Still, that seemed to make her happy too so whatever.

"Well, I grew up with seven sisters. These things tend to happen." She giggled lightly and he scratched the back of his head while grinning.

He felt the scroll in his pocket vibrate. Normally he would just ignore it, after all, he was having a great time and for once, it was kind of turning out okay. What if it was one of his sisters though and they needed him? He felt bad for his date but it went without saying if his sisters needed him he would go running.

So with great reluctance he pulled it out to find a message from Joan.

" _Violet's coming. Get her out of there._ " He felt his face go pale and he began quivering in his shoes. How did she even find out about this!?

"Jaune? Is everything okay?" His date leaned over to read the message but quirked an eyebrow at it curiously, not understanding the severity of the words on his scroll.

"...We gotta go."

"What?" He grabbed her by the the wrist and began to pull her through the arcade. They exited out onto the street and he looked back and forth, trying to think of some place he could possibly hide.

"I found you!" Oh God.

"Run!"

"Wait Jaune! I just want to talk to her!" Like Hell that was true!

"I'm not sure what's going on, but isn't that your sister we're running from?" She kept glancing back at Violet and then at Jaune as he dragged her through the crowd at breakneck speeds.

"The short answer is yes."

"What's the long answer?"

"It's also yes."

"Is there a difference?"

"Less talking, more running!"

And so, the whole rest of his date was spent playing hide and seek from his crazy eldest sister. Which maybe… wasn't actually a bad thing. Scary for sure, but kind of fun in a weird way. And besides, she did agree to a second date.

Maybe that leather jacket of dad's really was lucky?


	18. Coming to Terms

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Coming to Terms_

* * *

Pyrrha felt numb all over.

She knew she should be feeling so many different things right now. There was just so much going on and so much had happened tonight. But maybe that was why she didn't feel anything? It was entirely possible that her senses been overloaded. She was feeling so much that she just shut down as some kind of defense mechanism. The fact that she could even rationalize her emotions so calmly, or in this case lack thereof should have upset her, yet she felt nothing of the sort.

Her teammates were in Beacon's Intensive Care Ward right now. It… it was entirely possible Nora could die. She had been blasted point blank by Crocea Mors' light beam.

Ren hadn't suffered as bad but he had also been engulfed briefly in a beam while Pyrrha was dodging around. She hadn't been of any use in that fight. After Crocea Mors revealed that she deceived them, Pyrrha hadn't been able to bring herself back together.

She had been furious, so much so she was seeing red just looking at that sword and shield. More than that though, she was hurt. Her heart hurt so much. She thought she had known what she was doing. She thought she knew how to save her partner. Her best friend. Only to find out in possibly the most cruel way possible… she had no idea. No, that wasn't exactly true. She knew exactly how to save Joan. She had just refused to accept it.

Why was that so wrong? She was trying to protect Joan. Even if it wasn't Jaune's way, it wasn't like what she was trying to do was bad. They had wanted the same thing. Yet life and that evil sword had no regard for her feelings and circumstances, brutally cutting her confidence down with vicious intensity.

And in the end she had been saved. Ironically, by Jaune of all people. He hadn't come running to her rescue personally. He had simply managed to break another one of the swords at that very moment. And Joan had left in a hurry, no longer interested in tormenting her any longer and instead charging after Jaune in a rage.

Pyrrha couldn't help but wonder… if she had agreed to his plan from the beginning, would he have agreed to go after Joan first? Would she be holding her partner in her arms right now? Would Nora's life not be hanging precariously in the balance? How differently would things have gone if she just hadn't been so proud?

She almost let out a derisive snort. Her? Proud? She had always thought of herself as an incredibly humble person. Despite her fame, status, and fortune, she always maintained a level head and never took what she had for granted. That was what she thought. Now she saw herself for what she truly was. A prideful fool. One that put all her friends in danger. Her timing to discover her true nature couldn't possibly have been worse.

With a small hiss, the door to the other side of Beacon's hospital ward opened and the headmaster himself, Ozpin, walked into the waiting room. Pyrrha jumped to her feet, along with all the other able-bodied members that had gone after Jaune's sisters.

There were so few of them left on this end.

Four teams had gone in: RWBY, JNPR, CRDL, and CFVY.

Of those four teams, the only ones on this end were herself, Cardin Winchester, Yatsuhashi Daichi, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. A whole freaking six of them. Seven if you counted Jaune who was somewhere with his sisters right now, she imagined. That was less than half.

And even they weren't all in good condition. Cardin appeared the most unharmed of them because he had supposedly been defending Velvet who had been hit early on. Yatsuhashi was in the worst shape, his head wrapped in gauze and wounds covering one arm and leg. If it wasn't for Aura already healing him he would without a doubt need medical attention too. The remaining members of RWBY looked physically uninjured but they were clearly worn down, in particular Yang who had been involved since the beginning.

"I see you're all here. Good." Ozpin pulled out a rather antique pocket watch and flipped it open, despite there being a clock on the wall directly behind him. "It pains me to inform you all of this, but Fox Alistair was killed in action during your mission into Vale City tonight."

"..." Everyone stood in stunned silence.

Fox... was dead? Fox, as in one of the most powerful students in the third year? There was no way. This couldn't be real. There was no way this was real. She hadn't been close to him. None of them really had been, except his team. Yet that any of their precious comrades had been murdered in battle...

Ruby clung to her older sister who wrapped an arm around her protectively. Even Weiss took a step closer to her leader and grabbed the hem of her sleeve, seeking comfort in only a small way. Yatsuhashi stood ramrod straight, with an expression on his face Pyrrha couldn't possibly understand.

"...He had been split in half." Cardin dropped to his knees and slammed a fist onto the tiled floor. "I watched it happen and I did nothing!"

"...Fox Alistair did not die by bisection." Ozpin corrected solemnly, causing Cardin's head to whip up and the others to turn. Only Yatsuhashi didn't physically react. "...He was killed by gunfire. I would say by the severity of his wounds, it had been an incredibly powerful, intense rate of ammunition."

"...Wait."

"You don't mean…?"

"It would appear to have been accidental friendly fire. The extent of the damage matches Miss Adel's firearm." Ozpin slowly walked forward and rested a hand on Yatsuhashi's shoulder. "I am sorry. I will leave it to your judgement whether to communicate this information to Miss Adel."

"Who the Hell would tell her!?" Yang screamed, whirling on the headmaster.

"It wasn't her fault, Yang!" Ruby clung to her sister's arm, trying to pull her back. Tears freely rolled down her cheeks and she buried her face in her arm. "It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault."

"That sword duped us." Cardin let out a small chuckle. He placed one hand on the side of his face and raised his gaze to the ceiling. "Damn, she got us good. Hahaha." His eyes were wide and shaking, tears welling on the edge but failing to fall.

She hadn't been the only one completely taken advantage of tonight. Pyrrha instantly regret that thought the moment it finished forming.

"Was Fox… the only casualty?" She also hated the neutrality of her own voice as she spoke. She really wished someone would punch her right now. Make her feel something about all this, anything.

"They're still counting the total dead, but it is already over a hundred-"

"She's not talking about that!" Yang pulled Ruby closer, almost covering her ears in the process.

"I am aware of what she was asking, Miss Xiao Long." Ozpin turned on her, and for the first time Pyrrha had ever seen he had a sharp edge to his gaze. "But this is something you all need to hear. You lost someone tonight. But you are not the only ones. Your duty as aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses is to protect those who can't. Every single one of you went into battle tonight, and in doing so you had inadvertently accepted that you might not come back alive."

"However, the citizens of Vale did not ask to be brought into that battle. They were forced into it, and many of them were killed. They died, terrified, probably not even sure of what was happening to them. Do you understand? That is the true tragedy of tonight."

"What are you trying to say?" Weiss' tone was ice cold and her glare felt like it froze everything in its path. "That we shouldn't have interfered? That we just should have sat back and done nothing? If that's the case you should have never brought Jaune here in the first place! You knew we would jump at the chance to help him!"

"I'm saying that you all made a choice." Ozpin clicked his cane against the ground. "Some of those choices you made tonight saved countless more lives… other choices didn't. Were those choices wrong? Even I can't say. Perhaps I would have done the same in your situation. However, the truth is those of you who survived now have a chance… you can't fix the past, but you might be able to protect the future."

Those words reverberating through Pyrrha's whole being. Her choices… they hurt Nora. They hurt Ren. They even hurt Joan. But even so, it wasn't over yet. She was still alive. She could still make the right choice. No, calling it right or wrong went against Ozpin's point. She could make a _different_ choice.

"Nora Valkyrie-" She flinched as Ozpin said that name. "and Russel Thrush are still in critical surgery… however, we have confidence that with proper Aura infusion they will pull through."

"The rest of your teammates are all in recovery. They are getting rest so I cannot permit you see them tonight but they should be able to have visitors tomorrow." Ozpin stepped past them and continued towards the hall. "...I truly am sorry." Those were the last words he said before leaving them.

Yang grit her teeth so hard, Pyrrha could hear it. "God damn it!" Her hair flickered with light and if she hadn't been holding Ruby it was possible she might have punched something. Ruby snuggled deeper into her shoulder, Weiss began pacing back and forth while Cardin remained kneeling on the floor.

Yatsuhashi still had yet to move, just staring at the door. What was he thinking right now? Was he questioning his decisions too? Would he even want to keep going after the sisters after losing a comrade to them?

What would she do if Joan had killed Nora? No, it wasn't Joan in control. It was Crocea Mors. They were two different entities. She understood that now. And now that she did there was only one real choice she could make: that sword had to go. She would see to it that it got destroyed if it was the last thing she ever did.

Finally, she began to feel something. White hot angry boiled in her stomach. Anger at herself. Anger at that stupid sword. Anger at the unfairness of life.

She strolled forward and right up to Yatsuhashi, gripping him by the shoulder. He gave a small start at the contact and turned towards her. She met his eyes with a fiery green gaze. "I'm going to see Jaune."

"..." He stared at her silently, but she could almost swear she heard the gears in his head turning.

"I- I know talking to him isn't going to bring Fox back. I know you only just found out. I can't even imagine what you're thinking. Do you want to break the swords? Do you maybe want to even harm his sister? Maybe you just want to grieve? I just don't know. But… but-" She clenched a fist tightly and averted her eyes back to the floor. "...I don't know what else to do to make this right."

With a small rustle, Yatsuhashi placed a hand overtop the one she had rested on his shoulder. Her head whipped back up. He was still staring down at her, but this time silent tears ran down his cheeks. Despite that, he had the smallest ghost of an appreciative smile on his face. It was barely there, but she could see it.

"You're right. Let's go see him."

* * *

"Here comes the plane! Open wide!" Jaune tried really hard not to let out a huge grin as Autumn's eye twitched angrily.

The three of them had moved to the cafeteria where Glynda had been waiting for them. She prepared them each a large bowl of canned stew, not the most extravagant of meals, but for them it was enough. Then she had already departed, but not before asking Jaune to report to Ozpin's office first thing in the morning.

The siblings were now alone and Autumn was still rather weak and could barely walk. So despite not having the best grip himself, Jaune decided it might be fun to try and relive some of the old days. When they were younger, Autumn loved it when he would do this. That had changed after he had been inscribed. Now she was seventeen though which might be a little old...

"I-I'm only letting you do this because it would be a shame to waste food and not because it reminds me of when we were kids or anything, okay?" Reluctantly, Autumn opened wide and he placed the spoon of stew in her mouth.

His grin got even bigger. He never dreamed she would actually go for it. Rouge let out a small snort of laughter from right next to him before giving a ragged cough as stew flew out her nose. "Ah! It's hot! It's hot!" She fanned a hand in front of her face while slapping around desperately for the tissue.

"Serves you right! Laughing at me!" Autumn pointed her nose to the ceiling and gave a small humph.

"Here Rouge," Jaune pushed the tissue within reach of her hand and she gratefully took it. He and Autumn both knew she hadn't actually been burned. After all, her Semblance made her immune to such things. She was just being silly for Autumn's sake right now, something he knew she appreciated too.

"Thank you, big brother." Rouge wiped her nose off and crumpled the tissue, placing it next to her bowl. He nodded before turning back to Autumn.

There were so many things he wanted to talk to her about right now. She claimed she barely remembered what happened. But she must have had some recollections. Did she know what the swords were planning? Was the fallout between the two groups of them serious or could it only be temporary? Why had they even spared him in the first place?

He didn't dare ask though for fear of triggering her into remembering all the horrible atrocities she had been forced to commit. Eventually he would have to ask her those questions. For now though, he just wanted to enjoy having at least one more sister back by his side. What's more, she was actually being nice to him for the time being.

He couldn't help but grin while lifting another spoonful up. "Another one is coming in for a landing!" Autumn's frowning mouth twitched and for a second he thought she might smile too. Instead she gave a sigh and once more opened wide, keeping her eyes close tight.

As she chewed on her latest bite he heard a parade of footfalls and turned to the entrance of the cafeteria just as Pyrrha Nikos walked in. Immediately she spotted where he and his sisters were sitting and began making her way over, an almost fierce step in her gait.

Alarm bells went off inside his head and he stumbled up to his feet, dropping the spoon he had been using into Autumn's bowl.

Autumn's green eyes flared with hostility at the approaching girl, almost instinctively realizing Jaune's own fear. Rouge gripped her by the arm, keeping her from jumping up. She was still too weak to be getting involved in another fight.

Not that he was in exactly tiptop shape himself. If Pyrrha wanted to thrash him right now he wouldn't exactly be able to put up much resistance. Fortunately for him, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang appeared around the corner a moment later. If Pyrrha tried anything he hoped they would have his back.

Not that he even knew why Pyrrha was mad to begin with. Maybe because he tried to break Joan's sword tonight? The only way she would know that though is if Yang told her. It probably didn't even matter what she was mad about, because one way or the other he was about to find out.

She continued right up to him without slowing at all. As it looked like she was about to collide into him he started to raise his arms defensively only for Pyrrha to actually walk right into him. Her arms wrapped around his back and pulled him in tight. Her red hair tickled his cheek as she placed a chin on his shoulder.

What… was happening right now? If she was going to try and suplex him or something she was going about it all wrong. Actually, this kind of felt more like… a hug? Was Pyrrha hugging him right now?

Her whole body shifted as she gave a barely audible sob. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She whispered this again and again into his ear. And every time it felt like her grip on him got a little bit tighter.

"H-hey." Unsure of himself he lifted his arms up only to lower them again. Did she want him to hug her back? He… had no idea what to do in this sort of situation. He wasn't even really sure what she was apologizing for right now. He looked to the others for help, but the expressions on their faces didn't offer much in the way of advice.

He couldn't even tell if Ruby wanted to cry or laugh but both thoughts were equally disconcerting. Weiss' mouth was tucked in a thin line but she clearly held a look of remorse directed at her friend. Yang at least looked ready to pull Pyrrha off at any second, probably still prepared for her to try and swing at him. Which he was also still partially expecting to happen.

Two others were here now too, the upperclassman Yatsuhashi, and the other team leader, Cardin. This was a rather small group compared to everyone that had come to save his sisters. Was… everyone okay? Joan and Olivia's words still hung heavily over him. He had been trying to ignore them by taking care of Autumn but meeting the others again once more brought those doubts to the forefront of his mind.

"It's… okay, Pyrrha." He finally brought his arms up all the way and returned the hug, holding Pyrrha gently by the shoulders. "You don't have to apologize." Especially since he still had no idea what she was even sorry for.

She shook her head and he felt her ponytail wave across the back of his hands. "I have to. Because you were right. All along you were right." Finally, she pulled back a little, just far enough away to look him in the eyes but close enough that she could keep her arms wrapped around him. "We have to break Crocea Mors. _You_ have to break Crocea Mors. And I'm going to help."

His mouth opened but almost immediately snapped back shut. The edges of Pyrrha's eyes were swollen from dried tears but now her green orbs burned with fiery determination and unwavering conviction. There was no doubt in her mind anymore.

She was on his side.

"Ren and Nora?" Please don't let their lives have been the cost for this turnabout. If they died… all because he didn't push hard enough, because he didn't make his position clear…

"They're alive." Pyrrha's grip on the back of his shirt tightened and he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "They may be hurt but they'll make it. And I'm sure they agree with you now too."

"Then everyone made it?" He looked at the others hopefully but almost every one of them grimaced and averted their eyes. Wait, wait. What did that mean? If Ren and Nora were okay didn't that mean everyone had made it? The only team he didn't know the condition of was the upperclassman. There was no way they had gotten hurt. Those four were monsters in their own right. There was just no way.

Yatsuhashi took a big step forward, his shoulders hunched and head bowed. "Fox... was killed tonight." He stopped and his massive shoulders shook. "I still do not feel like I fully comprehend that. How did this even happen?"

The whole world felt like it began to spin and if Pyrrha hadn't still been holding him he was sure he would have fallen over. He should have stayed behind. He should have dealt with Olivia and her illusions first after all. Maybe no one would have died if he had done that. He probably could have beaten her with their help easily and then gone after Autumn.

Did Yatsuhashi hate his sister now for this? Would he want revenge against her like the rest of the world already did? What about Coco? And Velvet? He had never even tried to get to know them. It wouldn't surprise him at all if they wanted nothing to do with his efforts anymore.

"So from now on-" Yatsuhashi started back up, cutting off his downward spiral. "I shall follow your lead. Please help us prevent something like this from happening again." The huge man placed his hands together before bowing deeply.

Once again, Jaune's mouth could only open and close like a gaping fish. He didn't even have time to be surprised as Cardin also stepped forward as well, hands balled into tight fists held at his side. "Me and my team were absolutely worthless tonight. I barely feel like we contributed at all… but if you'll let me, I would like another shot at lending a hand. Properly this time."

"I-" Jaune looked at Cardin, then up to Yatsuhashi, and finally back to Pyrrha. "I don't even know what to say right now."

"How about-" Ruby interjected herself right next to him and Pyrrha, grabbing one of his hands and one of hers. "Welcome to the team!" Her eyes were red and puffy, yet despite all that she was forcing one of the biggest smiles he had ever seen. In spite of everything, she was trying her hardest to be positive.

He had to admit, her enthusiasm was infectious. So many things had gone horribly wrong tonight. So many people had been killed, including one of their own. That was why more than ever they had to pull together. "Yeah… I think having more people on the team sounds pretty awesome." Pyrrha and him both let out small smiles to match Ruby's own.

"Yay! That means we can have one big sleepover in our room!"

"What!?" It went without saying that shriek came from Weiss. Unfortunately for her, once Ruby decided something there was pretty much no changing her mind.

* * *

Yang loved her baby sister, but sometimes she was just a little too considerate of other people.

Sure, Pyrrha, Yatsuhashi, and Cardin were the only uninjured ones on their respective teams and it certainly would have sucked for them to be alone in their individual rooms, especially with the memories of what happened to their teammates so fresh in their minds. However, it was now very, very cramped in room RWBY.

Not only had Jaune freed another sister, which kind of balanced itself out anyways because Blake was spending at least tonight in the infirmary, probably another couple just to be safe, but they had already been two occupants over capacity to begin with. Now they were over double. And Yatsuhashi wasn't exactly a little guy.

Weiss looked ready to have an aneurysm, having so many men spend the night in their room. She had grown fairly tolerant of Jaune's presence and Yang doubted she was objecting so much to Yatsuhashi, given his peaceful nature and the fact he just lost a teammate. If anything it was probably just Cardin also being in here that really rubbed her the wrong way. Still, it would have been rude to invite Yatsuhashi and Pyrrha but not him so reluctantly he had been welcomed into their once-upon-a-time girl's sanctuary.

Fortunately he appeared rather subdued after tonight's events himself so it didn't look like he was in the mood to hit on any of them or try and pick a fight. In fact, Cardin might have needed a friend right now as much as the rest of them. Leave it to Ruby to see that. Sometimes Yang was so proud of her.

It wasn't like sleeping arrangements had been too hard to figure out. Yatsuhashi and Cardin brought their own sleeping bags from their rooms so they would just use the floor, like Jaune had always been doing. Rouge and Autumn were just going to bunk using Blake's bed for now. Yang moved over to Ruby's bed to sleep with her to free up one for Pyrrha and Weiss didn't have to move at all. Lord knows she would've thrown a fit if she did.

Now for the real concern though. How was Autumn going to handle her first night free from the sword's influence? If it was anything like Rouge's first night here, than they were all in for a rather rude awakening at some point tonight. Jaune would probably be able to calm her down easily enough… but that wasn't exactly something Yang was looking forward to either.

His solution with Rouge was troublesome enough, taking all that blame onto himself. He couldn't seriously be considering doing it for Autumn as well? Knowing him, the answer was yes. Speaking of Jaune, most everyone had curled up into their sleeping quarters except for him. Not that any of them were exactly sleeping right now.

Ruby was leaning over the side of the bed and chatting with Weiss who was looking up at her. Despite the cold-face she was putting on, probably just because they had so many guests tonight, they could all tell she was pretty shaken up too. Pyrrha sat on her bed, quietly cleaning Milo and Akuo. Rouge and Autumn were talking, catching up with one another and probably trying to come to terms having both been subjected to the same thing. Cardin and Yatsuhashi laid on top of their sleeping bags, the former talking away about who knew what while the latter just nodded occasionally.

Jaune though was rummaging through his small backpack where he kept what little supplies he had. Curiously, Yang stalked over to him. His head whipped up the moment she was within a couple feet and he whirled on her, a small trace of fear evident in his blue eyes.

"Hey." Yang held up both arms in a show of peace and he relaxed, but only a little. "What're you doing?"

"Getting these." Jaune held up one roll of clear white wrap.

Two distinct memories flashed by her mind in an instant. The first of him shoving her out of the way and taking a blast of light. The second was him throwing her backwards and then getting struck by an ice Beowulf. Both sets of his wraps had been shredded during those incidents. And both times it had been to protect her.

"Here, let me wrap your hands for you." She crouched down and sat cross-legged in front of him.

"You don't owe me anything." Jaune turned on her, holding both sets closely to himself. "You already paid me back when you knocked me to my senses. I might not have been able to save Autumn if not for you." It wasn't very often people were that appreciative of her for punching them. This was kind of new.

"Can't I just want to do it as a friend? I thought I did pretty good last time too." She gave him a cocky grin and his eyes darted to the side as he appeared to recall the memory. Finally, he gave a small nod.

"Alright." He handed them over. "It is easier when someone else does it anyways." Once she had them he held out his hands. It was at that moment though that they both realized that the rest of the room had gotten strangely quiet. There was freaking nine of them here and even if they all went to sleep at once, this was just unnatural.

Slowly, Yang craned her neck to see every other occupant of the room staring at the two of them with piqued interest. "What? Y'all got something to say?" Without hesitation she turned standoffish. In most settings, everyone would quickly turn away and pretend they hadn't seen anything. Not here though.

"You knew about the scars?" She couldn't tell if Ruby was hurt because she knew and didn't tell her, or because Jaune didn't trust them enough himself to. Probably a little of both.

"I found out by accident." Yang started to defend herself but a snort on the other side of the room cut her off and she turned to see Autumn giving her a look of disbelief.

"Jaune doesn't let anyone see his hands. I find it hard to believe you ' _accidently'_ just managed to find out about them." She flicked one of her twintails as she directed her glare right at Yang.

It took everything the brawler had not to stand up and crack her knuckles threateningly. "What are you implying?" Instead she just let her voice do it for her.

"I'm not implying anything. I am telling you right now though, if you bully my big brother I'll make sure you regret it. He may not have enough backbone to stick up for himself but I'm more than capable enough of doing it for him." Okay, just freed or not, Yang was ready to put this little squirt in her place.

"That's enough." Jaune gently tapped her on the wrist, ending their heated staring contest. "Autumn. Yang hasn't been bullying me. She has been… kind of eccentric. But she's been nice too, I think." He had to think about it?!

"Hmph." Autumn turned her head away, causing both twintails to whip around. "I'll let it slide for now then. But I'll be keeping an eye on you." This little brat…

"So those are the shatter glyphs, huh?" Cardin had somehow snuck over without her noticing and was now inspecting Jaune's hands. "They're kind of gross looking."

Jaune visibly flinched at those words and pulled his hands back. Yang was already frustrated enough as it was, but now this idiot too. "What the Hell is your problem?!" She grabbed him by the scruff of the shirt and cocked one fist back.

"Whoa! Whoa! What did I do!?" Cardin cringed and tried to defend his face. Yang swung forward but Jaune caught her wrist at the last possible second.

"You don't have to punch him!" Well, Autumn was right about one thing. He really had no interest in sticking up for himself. With a small grunt of disappointment, Yang let go of Cardin who fell backwards before quickly retreating back to his sleeping bag and next to Yatsuhashi where he probably thought it was safe. He said something like that again and she would make him realize how wrong he was.

"Do you mind if I see them?" And now Pyrrha was over here too. Couldn't they all see how uncomfortable this was making him? Autumn just got done saying how he didn't let anyone look at them.

"O-okay." Yet for whatever reason he didn't turn down Pyrrha's request. Yang didn't get it. He had been so terrified when she had first seen them. What the heck made Pyrrha so different? Just because she was his twin's best friend or something?

He once more hesitantly pulled his hands from behind his back and held them up for Pyrrha to see. She stared at them intently, the expression on her face remaining painfully neutral. Was she even grossed out by them at all? It was kind of impossible to tell because she wasn't giving any kind of reaction and that seemed to be unnerving him as well. Just as he started to lower them- "...I think they're wonderful."

"Y-you do?" His face immediately flushed red at the unexpected compliment and his hands froze in place.

"Of course." Pyrrha gently grasped one of them and smiled warmly. "It's these hands that will save Joan… and the rest of your sisters. I'm just sorry I never asked to see them before now. It may sound cruel, but I feel like I understand you better now that I have."

"Ah...no, I don't think it's cruel." He rubbed the back of his head and his blush somehow grew even deeper as she continued to hold his hand.

"Okay, that's enough." Yang grabbed and pulled it from Pyrrha's grip, startling both of them. Neither even spared her a glance though as she set to wrapping his hands.

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry, Jaune. I know you don't like having them stared at." Pyrrha gave a small incline of the head as she stood back up.

He averted his eyes away from her and towards the floor. "It's fine. Every once in awhile it isn't bad to give them some air." Pyrrha probably couldn't see it from her angle, but to Yang his small smile was clear as day. And as she looked at it she felt a small knot curl tighter in the bottom of her gut.

What the Hell was up with that interaction? Before now Pyrrha wanted nothing to even do with Jaune or his hands. Now just like that she was going to apologize and call his hands wonderful? And he was buying into it without batting an eyelash, appearing even happy to be connecting to her.

It was completely different from how he treated her. She had been nothing but nice to him since he showed up. Helping him break out of his shell, boxing with him on a daily basis, and it was her that suggested they went out to Junior's Bar tonight which led them to finding his sisters. If anything, she was the one who had spent the most time with him this past week and it was her that had his back throughout all of tonight's battles.

Yet he never smiled at her like that.

If anything, he usually seemed distrustful of her motives, even jumping whenever she approached. Sure she teased him from time to time but that was something friends did, and she knew his sisters must have used to. So why was there such a difference?

"Uhh… Yang?" His voice snapped her out of the train of thought and she looked up to see him inching back fearfully.

"What?" She snapped unintentionally, but this was exactly the problem she was just thinking about. He just always seemed so fearful her.

"Your eyes are red." Oh. Well she supposed she could let it slide this time then. She wouldn't want to be right in front of her either if her eyes changed color. "...And you finished wrapping my arms like a minute ago."

"Huh. So I have." Sure enough, she had finished wrapping both hands and was now just kind of holding the one up. Before she could even begin to form an excuse something soft collided with the back of her head, ruffling her hair.

If her eyes hadn't already been red they would have been after that and she whirled around, already knowing who must have thrown the pillow laying behind her. Sure enough, Autumn was once again glowering at her, arm extended as if in challenge. "I told you not to bully my brother."

"Alright. It. is. on!" Without missing a beat, Yang picked up the pillow Autumn had just thrown and whipped it forcibly across the room… and right into Rouge's face.

"Eep!" The girl gave a small cry as the pillow knocked her over.

"Pillow fight!" She wasn't sure who shouted it, but not even a second later and pillows were flying across the room far more quickly than they had any right to be and pelting one another left and right. She didn't even know they had that many pillows in their room until just now.

Some of them were more subdued about it than the others, but even Jaune and Yatsuhashi were participating in the sudden outbreak. She supposed in a way it was a small comfort to them to do something harmless like this. It certainly helped take their minds off things they would rather forget for the time being. They could worry about reality tomorrow morning. She would also just have to put her own thoughts to the side for now.

After all, she had a pillow fight to win.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Prompt for the omake provided by confections101.

* * *

 **Omake 14**

 _Fever_

* * *

This couldn't be happening.

Jaune could only stare at the thermometer in front of him with shaking eyes and trembling legs. Yet no matter how many times he blinked the numbers on it didn't change. It was official.

He had a fever.

He thought it had been strange when he woke up long after the sun had risen. Training before the sunrise was so ingrained into him it was just odd for his body to not automatically kick him awake in time. The soreness in his throat, gunk in his nose, and pounding head had been pretty early indicators of exactly what was wrong though.

Still, he held out hope until he was able to make it to the bathroom and grab the thermometer. Only to have that hope brutally dashed. It wasn't like being sick though was the biggest issue here. No, that part was fine. After all, with a little rest and proper nutrition he would get fine on his own in no time. Arcs were resilient like that.

No, the real problem was if his sisters found out. They all tended to have rather… extreme ideas for dealing with a cold. If they tried to nurture him it would without a doubt double the length of his illness.

Fortunately, oh so fortunately, most of them were at school right now. Ciel and Violet especially. He didn't mean to sound ungrateful or anything but their methods of taking care of him were the most overwhelming.

Ciel's methods involved all kind of just impractical tortures such as doing handstands for hours or spinning around on the swivel chair until you "barfed out the sickness" as she put it.

Violet was just plain smothering as she clung to him practically twenty-four seven, not allowing him to so much as move an inch away from his bed, which was usually piled with enough blankets to feel like a furnace. He didn't even want to mention her forced feeding tactics.

Olivia… thankfully was so terrified of germs she usually just quarantined him off into his room. She would slide food in through the window while wearing a protective suit. She actually might be the most helpful since she had the most hands-off approach of them all.

So yeah… he was pretty grateful none of them were around. There were two others that were here though. Two he had to avoid at all costs.

"Big brother?" He let out a loud, girly shriek as Rouge opened the door to the bathroom without a single knock. The thermometer in his hand flew through the air before most unfortunately clattering to the floor right in front of his youngest sister's feet, the display beaming right up at her.

Her head tilted curiously and he could swear he saw the gears turning in her head. "...Are you, sick?" Why would she be grinning while asking that!?

He shook his head vigorously. "Nope. Nope. I'm not sick. Fit as a horse actually. Never felt better in my life. Why would you think I'm sick? Do I look sick?"

"Jaune's sick?" Why!? Not her too!

Autumn poked her head around the corner. Getting past one of them would have maybe been possible. Running past both in his present condition was impossible.

"Don't worry, big brother!" Rouge sprung at him and snuggled around one of his arms. "We'll take care of you!" And how could he possibly say no to that absolutely hopeful look on his adorable youngest sister's face?

 _'Somebody please just shoot me now.'_

* * *

"Uhh… Autumn?" He didn't know why he even bothered opening his mouth to talk to her. They went through this every time.

"Yes?"

"Why… am I only in my boxers?" Seriously, it was getting cold sitting on the wood floor in nothing but his underwear. Meanwhile, she stood over him just staring down like some viscous guard dog.

"You have a fever, right?" She asked this matter-of-factly.

"Yes, but-"

"Then obviously the best way to get rid of it is to cool you down." Somehow he didn't think it worked that way. Especially since it never once helped him get better in the past.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but maybe you could just let me handle with one on my own?"

"Hmm… no." Well, at least he tried.

"It's finished!" Rouge yelled in a sing-song like voice as she strolled into the room, holding a steaming bowl high above her head. Finally, something with some warmth to it. "I made it all by myself!" And suddenly he wanted nothing to do with it. He would just deal with the cold.

"You… didn't ask mom for any help? Not even a little?" Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes.

"Nope!" So much for that.

Rouge proudly placed the bowl in front of him and dipped a spoon into it. She then looked up at him expectantly, just waiting for him to take a bite. He looked down at it and then back up at her. Then he did it again.

"Uhh...Rouge?"

"Yes big brother?"

"What is this?"

"Tomato soup!"

"...Why is it black?"

"I may have cooked it just a little longer than necessary." He wasn't positive, but calling this "a little overcooked" was selling it really, really short. In fact, she may have set some kind of world record for what she just displayed in front of him. He wasn't even sure it was possible to turn tomato soup into whatever concoction she had placed before him.

"What's the matter? Aren't you going to eat it?" Curse Rouge's adorable yellow puppy eyes and that ridiculously sweet pleading voice that he couldn't stand the thought of disappointing.

"...Yeah." Maybe he would get lucky and it would poison him and put him out of his misery?

He picked up the spoon and stuck it into the so called "tomato soup" which somehow had the consistency of jelly. His gag-reflex kicked in from that alone. Well, here went nothing. In one swift motion he lifted it up and shoved it in his mouth. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Too bad his stomach didn't agree with him. And so, he was able to add violent vomiting to his list of symptoms.

He really hated being sick.


	19. Emotional Support

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Emotional Support_

* * *

"I will not be moved to break my promise to Mr Arc or his sisters, Councilman." Ozpin stated in such a stern, matter-of-fact voice that Glynda had to hide a smug smile.

"Ozpin!" One of the several men on the projected images called his name in a loud roar. "Do you have any idea what happened in our city last night!? Do you have any idea how many were killed!?"

"I am aware." In stark contrast to the council's bristling anger, Ozpin was completely composed, almost uncaringly so. Glynda knew better than that though. She could see through Ozpin's facade, and knew how deeply affected he was by the news of such death. Very few people valued human life as much as he did.

"Then you know that as the representatives of the people we have to show them results! How do you think it makes us look when our city gets decimated by a terrorist attack and we have nothing to show for it? We look like a bunch of morons with thumbs up our asses!"

Ozpin sipped calmly on his coffee. "I have the results right here at Beacon. Jaune Arc has now saved two of his sisters, who I think you will find quite passive without their swords controlling them any longer."

"That blundering buffoon of a brother? You must be joking." Several members of the council snorted in derision. "What kind of confidence do you think _he_ would instill in the people? We put him up on a stage or on the airwaves and we would become the laughingstock of the world. We need a credible way to deal with this threat."

Glynda had heard enough. These asinine fools were more worried about their own pride then the real results. With an audible smack, she cracked her crop against Ozpin's desk, startlingly all the councilman even through their displays. "You claim to want results but you fail to see the truth even when it is right in front of your eyes. I personally went down to Vale last night and battled against those Arc Sisters. Even wielding all my power, I could only hold one at bay at best. Mr Arc managed to defeat one in combat, however."

"..." The council glanced amongst themselves. Even they weren't foolish enough to take her words lightly. She was one of Vale's strongest Huntresses, a fact known well throughout the kingdom. Her word carried weight representative of that, especially having been one that had actually been down there while they were stuck in their cozy mansions. Finally, they all nodded amongst themselves before turning back to them.

"...We would be willing to hear Mr Jaune Arc's proposed plan and if we find it agreeable even offer him the support he needs to bring this threat under control as quickly as possible." Both Glynda and Ozpin narrowed their eyes, just waiting for the contingent they knew was coming. "All he has to do is bring us the two sisters he already freed. Allow us to… 'make' an example of them. Simply a demonstration to restore the public's trust. I'm sure you understand."

Glynda gripped her riding crop so hard she could feel the circulation to her fingers cut off. These ornery bastards…

"Oh, I understand." She whirled on Ozpin in surprise. The silver-haired man had leaned forward and rested both elbows on the desk, intertwining his fingers in front of his face. Hidden behind was a knowing smile.

"Then you agree to hand them over to us?" For the first time since this conversation, the council sounded hopeful. It was honestly disgusting to hear that tone coming from such men.

"I'm afraid it isn't my decision to make. The one who can give you his answer just arrived, however." It was then that Glynda realized Ozpin wasn't looking up at the projected screens, but past them.

Jaune Arc stood at the other end of the office, hands clenched tightly and a dark scowl on his face.

The council turned their heads pointlessly, unable to see him. Ozpin beckoned Jaune forward and the younger man strolled purposely up to Ozpin's desk and within eyesight of the council. When he reached him, Jaune gave him an appreciative nod and then a quick glance towards Glynda. She gave him a small smile, and stood up a little more straight. He had her full support in the decision he would surely give them.

Jaune turned and glared up at the members of Vale's council, their kingdom's highest standing officials, without any fear or even an ounce of respect. "Understand this right now. I will _never,_ and I mean _never_ give my sisters over to anyone who has even the slightest intention of harming them, let alone whatever the Hell it is you got planned for them. They are innocent."

"As cheeky as the last time, brat." One of the members leaned forward and Jaune's eyes lit up briefly in recognition. "I'll tell you what. How about we sweeten the deal? We'll give you-"

"I'm not interested." Jaune cut him off without a moment's hesitation. The man flapped his gums, completely caught off guard at being so easily dismissed by a boy a third his age. "Professor Ozpin has offered me everything I could want for my sisters right now. After I've saved them all, then you can offer your terms to exonerate them. Until then, I have nothing to hear from you."

She had no idea Jaune knew how to talk this way to anyone, let alone such influential men. She supposed his sisters really did have a way of bringing out all kinds of different sides to him, especially when they were in danger.

"Are you really going to let this unhinged brat do your talking and make decisions for you, Ozpin?" They quickly realized trying to get through to Jaune was a lost cause and turned back to the headmaster, whose smile had gotten bigger after hearing Jaune's response.

"As the leading expert on the Arc Swords and the only one with an actual way to stop them, I am going to defer to him and his judgement on the matter." Ozpin said that with perhaps a little too much snark in his voice as the council's faces became even more enraged.

"I think we've heard enough for one day. We'll talk after you've come to your senses." The screen vanished not even a full second after one of them said those words.

"I think that went well." Ozpin raised his mug of coffee and took a small sip. Being on the council's bad side wasn't exactly new to the headmaster so it probably made sense that he could be so nonchalant about what was an indisputably disastrous meeting.

"Is that what you called me up here for?" Already, Jaune's stalwart demeanor was diminishing and he returned back to his usual, unsure self. He would certainly gain to know how to bring that other side of him out more often.

"That is correct. I apologize if I interrupted your breakfast Mr Arc, but I figured you would like to tell them those words yourself."

"Ah, no. It's fine. I appreciate it. I'm just not sure if you want me to leave now or something." He shot a nervous glance between Ozpin, Glynda, and then the door.

"Glynda has to begin teaching her classes in a moment. I'm sure she would be happy to walk you out." Ozpin gestured vaguely in her direction and she gave a strict nod. "Before you go though, I do have a word of caution for you."

Jaune tilted his head curiously but otherwise remained silent as he waited for Ozpin to continue. "I can only protect you and your sisters so much. While it is true that Beacon isn't a part of the Vale Kingdom proper, we still have to maintain connections with them. What we're doing they don't see any different than harboring fugitives. Right now we're fortunate because the populace of Vale's anger is directed at the council and their inability to properly handle the situation."

"It's only a matter of time though, before they turn that ire on your sisters. Once that happens, the council will have the support they need to demand your sisters again, and I may not be in a position to refuse them when that time comes."

Jaune gave a small, slow nod. "What… is it I should do?"

"Save them quickly, Mr Arc. And if you can help it, reduce the outside casualties to a minimum. I know both of these are asking for a lot, especially with so many of your promised allies incapacitated for a time." Asking for a lot? More like asking for the impossible. Glynda, herself, hadn't even been capable of preventing others from getting involved in her battle. The sisters were just on a whole other level of powerful to be restrained reasonably.

"I got it." Jaune didn't complain about Ozpin's unreasonable request though, instead simply agreeing with a more firm nod this time. He then turned towards the door and Glynda hurried to his side so they could walk out together.

"Thank you… for last night." She glanced at him briefly out of the corner of her eye and saw he was looking up at her expectantly, almost curiously.

"I did nothing you need to thank me for. My students were in danger and needed my help. Of course I would lend my assistance."

"Ciel is lucky to have someone like you as a friend. I know it was hard for them to bond with others, most times." She was surprised he knew about that. He never made any indication that he had any idea her and Ciel had gotten close before. Then again, as much as he cared about his sisters she supposed it wasn't actually all that odd he did know. It was disconcerting that he hid that knowledge so well though. Had he known she would come to help all along? Or was he simply hoping it would be a possibility? Either way, it explained why he put so much trust in her now despite their minimal interactions. Jaune Arc was someone that placed a lot of value on motives, after all.

"I'm simply lucky to have met her, Mr Arc. In fact, I consider myself lucky to have met all of you." She couldn't help but smile as she thought of all the Arc siblings and their antics here at this academy. She really was glad to have been a part of their lives, no matter how big or small.

* * *

Jaune paced back and forth in the waiting room of Beacon's hospital ward. He had parted from Glynda hours ago already but before that, she had recommended he go see all of those that had been injured during last night's battles.

Of course he had planned to do that. However, planning and doing were two entirely different things as he was now discovering the hard way. Slowly and surely he was progressing his way closer to the end goal but it was by any means not an easy process.

At first he just sat in the cafeteria for awhile. He would get up, ready to run straight there, only to get cold feet and sit right back down. Once he had finally managed to get past that he spent the next hour wandering aimlessly through Beacon's hallways, taking him anywhere but closer to his destination. Once he overcame that roadblock he wound up here, where he was now pacing back and forth. It was only a matter of time before he finally worked up the nerve to go into the infirmary to greet everyone.

And by everyone he meant all those who went to help him save his sisters and got brutally beat to within an inch of their life. Yeah… he didn't think he could do this after all. What would he even say? What could he even say? "Hi guys. Sorry my sisters almost killed you. Can't wait until we get to go out and do it again. Oh, by the way. Sorry about Fox too."

No way in Hell! These people probably didn't want anything to do with him. Wouldn't it be even more rude not to come see them though? Which would they be dissatisfied with more? Seeing him or not seeing him? Was this one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't type situations? He honestly didn't know and that was making his stomach churn.

"Jaune?" The door slid open and Yatsuhashi walked out, looking down at the now crouching blonde in concern.

"Oh, hey!" Jaune jumped to his feet so fast he got hit by a wave of lightheadedness and nearly stumbled right back over. Just as his body leaned to the side though, Yatsuhashi placed one of his big hands on his shoulder, steadying him.

"You should sit down." Yatsuhashi guided him over to a chair and despite his massive size, gently forced Jaune onto it. Then the towering man sat down next to him, his large frame barely fitting into it.

"T-thanks." He grumbled and clasped his hands together in front of himself, suddenly finding his thumbs incredibly interesting. Despite having hung out with this upperclassman last night, and even having had him pledge his sword to him, he really didn't know anything about him. And he had a feeling if he upset this guy it wouldn't take more than one hand to snap him in half.

"..." He could hear Yatsuhashi shuffle as he gave a small nod but no other words passed between them for awhile and they just sat there in an eerie silence. In a way though, it reminded him of all the silent times he spent with his sister, Amethyst. The two of them had never really needed to talk to one another and yet they always seemed comfortable in one another's presence.

Was… Yatsuhashi perhaps kind of like that too? Curiously he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. To his surprise, tears were rolling down the large man's cheeks silently. No sniffling, and no sobbing. They just leaked out of his eyes without the man even moving and rolled down his chin before dripping off and falling onto his crossed arms.

Jaune's mouth opened halfway and a breath of air that was the beginning of some word escaped his mouth before dying on his tongue. Once again he felt his previous doubts strike him. Would anyone even want to hear words of consolation from him? Things like this happened because he hadn't been strong enough to defeat his sisters in the first place. Apologizing at all just felt hollow in comparison to that.

"...Coco is still unconscious." Yatsuhashi began talking in place of Jaune's failed words. "Part of me is glad about that. I still do not know what to say to her. Should I tell her the truth? Should I hide it from her? I don't know what's right."

Jaune squeezed his hands tighter together. That plight sounded horribly familiar to him. His sisters had done countless horrible things now while under the control of those swords. How was he supposed to tell them it wasn't their fault and convince them to believe that? It just wasn't possible. If he could, he would rather they didn't know the truth at all. Yatsuhashi had the opportunity to do that… but was it really a kindness to not tell her?

Wasn't it better to trust her with the truth? She wasn't at fault. Teresa had taken advantage of them using her all-encompassing illusions. But would Coco accept that? Or would she give into despair? Even if she did, wasn't it up to her team to pull her out of it? That was if they even could.

"Velvet was awake, however." Jaune gave a small start as Yatsuhashi continued. "I had to tell her Fox was dead. I had to watch as the look on her face went from pure disbelief to the most painful expression I have ever witnessed. She broke down crying. As she did that… I couldn't even bring myself to tell her it had been Coco that shot him. I could only stand there and hold her. All the while I couldn't let myself cry." Yatsuhashi's shoulders shook. "I wanted to cry so badly along with her. But right now… I have to be the strong one. I have to protect my team."

Another brief silence passed between them, this time filled with Yatsuhashi's restrained sobs.

"...I know exactly how you feel." Finally, Jaune found his voice. Yatsuhashi turned towards him but Jaune couldn't bring himself to look back. "I know those words have to sound pathetic. Our situations are different. How can I possibly understand? Yet I know so well how you're feeling right now it hurts. It really freaking hurts." He gripped the front of his shirt and twisted.

"Our home village was burned down. My youngest sister burned it all. Meanwhile, everyone else was slaughtered by the rest of them. Our parents…" His mother and father's lifeless corpses flashed across his vision. "...were killed by Ostrum Tempus. She used my oldest sister's body to murder our parents. How screwed up is that?"

Jaune gave a small breathless laugh. "You know what? This is the first time I've said they're dead out loud. I couldn't do it. Rouge… and Autumn. They need me right now to be strong. I have to keep them safe and happy. I can't let them think about all the bad things that happened. So I haven't thought about it either. I've just been trying to go forward, no matter what."

"But… how can I do that? How in the Hell am I possibly supposed to do that?" His vision blurred out of focus and he felt his cheeks wet with tears. "Mom… Dad… I loved them both so much. We did so many pointless things together. Dad and I used to watch sports every Sunday night. And he taught me how to skip stones across the pond. I was never good at using my hands but he taught me how to use my wrist. When I had my first date he gave me his lucky jacket."

"And mom... I always helped her with the shopping. Despite my hands she let me carry the bags for her. She took me to dance lessons. I used to whine and complain about it because I thought it was uncool. She said it was for when my sisters became famous, but I always knew it was because she was trying to help me forget about these scars."

"Even when all my sisters were gone, they were still around. While my sisters were out saving the world they were there for me. We ate dinner together every night. Just the three of us. Even if no one else was there it was always us."

"We never did anything really special but we didn't have to. They were just...there… and now they're gone and I miss them so much. Yet like the bastard I am I tried to forget about them and all the things they did for me!" He squeezed his hands together so tight they began to spasm. "Shit… What the Hell is going on here?" He hadn't meant to say all this. It just started coming out more and more rapidly. He didn't want to think about this. He didn't want to feel this. He wanted their help, and somehow he felt like they would know what to do. But they weren't here.

Why weren't they here? What reason did the swords have to do this?

He tried to wipe away his tears but the more he did it seemed like the faster they came. His whole body began shaking horribly and he gave a choked sob, the back of his throat so hoarse and dry it physically ached. One of Yatsuhashi's giant hands patted his back, the warmth of it spreading across his whole body. "You… don't have to hold it in anymore. It sounds like you held out long enough. And your secret is safe with me." And even though he was so hurt himself right now, even though he needed support just as much as Jaune did, he gave him those words.

There was nothing left Jaune could do as two weeks of pent up emotions finally burst out. As Yatsuhashi rubbed his back he broke down and for the first time properly mourned the deaths of the parents he loved so much

* * *

Ren leaned back against the door leading to the waiting room and sunk to the floor. It had taken all his strength just to get this far but now he didn't even want to go any further, and not because of his physical exhaustion. That he could power through if it was to see Nora. What he couldn't get past was the two men in the other room.

Just on the other side of the door was Jaune and Yatsuhashi, the former finally breaking as he wept for his family. Ren almost banged the back of his head against the wall, only stopping himself because he knew one of them might hear. He felt like a real idiot right now. Nora was hurt. Critically so. The doctors just finished telling him she might never walk again, that was how powerful the blast she had been hit by was.

He had wanted to go see her. He wanted to see her no matter what and apologize. If he hadn't messed up last night that might not have happened to her. All this time, and Ren thought he could save Joan. Protect her from the sword. More than just bringing her back though, he thought he would be able to heal her soul. Help her get over everything she had done while being controlled. Only now that he was listening to Jaune did he realize how naive he was. How blinded by his own feelings he had been.

He couldn't possibly bring Joan back from this. Not by himself. No wonder his Aura attack last night hadn't gotten through to her. He had only focused on his moments together with her. All the times they spent together, the meals they had, the classes they took, the battles they fought, all of those were only a small part of Joan's life.

Her soul consisted of so much more than that. She had her family. She had her twin. There was her friendship with Pyrrha and Nora. Her begrudging rivalry with Cardin. Her bond with that sword and shield. There were so many different facets to a person than just one relationship, but he ignored all that because he wanted to be the one to save her. And because of this blunder Nora had been so badly injured.

Despite thinking all this moments ago, some part of that all felt insignificant now. Nora was alive. He would be able to apologize to her at any time. He didn't have to do it while she was still asleep and likely wouldn't even hear him. Even when she did wake up she would probably forgive him anyways despite having no reason to. His best friend was just strange like that.

Jaune and Yatsuhashi though… they would never be able to apologize to the ones they lost. At least not in a way they could hear. The only thing they had left to them was their regret. There was no hope for the ones they lost because they were gone.

"Ren!" Pyrrha called from down the hall and was jogging up to him hurriedly. "What are you doing!? You can't leave your bed like that!" He quickly held up a finger to silence her but she didn't listen right away, green eyes flaring with anger. "I let it slide because you said you were only going to the bathroom. But you were going to see Nora, weren't you? Just leave that for me while you recover."

"Pyrrha." Ren finally silenced her with a hushed yell of his own. She snapped her mouth shut and tilted her head in confusion before finally hearing what it was Ren was on about. She stepped up to the door and peeked through the crack in it.

Her shoulders tensed and he knew she saw who it was crying. Cautiously he reached over and touched her calf, getting her attention. "...Don't go out there right now. I don't think he wants us to see him like that."

The look on her face told him how much confliction those words caused. "I… finally feel like I understand him a little. The two of us… we can be friends. Just like I am with his twin. I know that's what he wants to. This is my chance to show him that."

"There will be a time and a place for that, Pyrrha." Ren shook his head slowly, not breaking eye contact. "This isn't it though. Jaune needs this and Yatsuhashi might be the best one to give it to him. In front of us… Jaune needs to be someone that we can rely on. I'm sure that's what he's thinking. If he finds out we saw this, we'll steal that from him."

"How… are you so sure about that?" Pyrrha once more peeked out into the waiting room before looking back to Ren.

He gave a small wry smile. "I think it's just a guy thing. You and Joan seem to always forget this fact, but I am a guy too and I do the same thing in front of you all."

Ren finally felt like he also understood Jaune a little better too. He seemed weak and unimpressive at first. But on the inside, he had such a powerful fortitude that Ren was honestly a little jealous. He didn't know anyone else that could have kept going as long as he did before finally having to slow down.

"Anyways, why don't you help me back to my bed? Are the others still visiting Blake?" Ren extended his hand and Pyrrha bent down and helped him up to his feet.

"They are. I don't think they plan to leave anytime soon. I'm guessing you want to make sure they don't see this either?" She spared one more glance at the closed door before helping him hobble forward.

Ren gave a small nod. He still wanted to see Nora. Like he just finished telling Pyrrha though, there would be a time and a place for that. And she would still be there for him when he did, probably demanding pancakes with a smile.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Prompt for the omake by the things that define you.

* * *

 **Omake 15**

 _Smash_

* * *

"Come on! Are you guys even trying?" Ciel laughed as she mashed the buttons of her Gamecube controller, viciously beating her other three siblings on the game displayed up on the their living room television.

"This isn't even fair!" Joan whined, eyes glued to the screen and biting her bottom lip.

"I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be doing…" Amethyst grumbled, looking between the buttons she was hitting on the controller and up at the screen constantly.

"Just try and beat up Ciel's character!" Jaune yelled, him and Joan both directing their own characters at her in a tag-team effort. They were good, but there was some noticeable flaws in their playstyle. Too easy, too easy. Ciel couldn't help the huge grin across her face as she dodged around both of their attacks. And now for the finishing touch. With an over smash hit she sent Jaune's character flying off the map.

Maybe she should have been taking it a little easy on him? After all, his hands didn't exactly allow him to play too fiercely. However, she had a reputation to keep as resident game champion in the house and he hated it when people took his hands into consideration as a handicap, even if they were.

Oh well, time to take care of Joan. Just as she finished thinking that and Amethyst finally struck.

"Amy! That's my character!" Joan shrieked as she flew off the screen. A moment later and Ciel sent her flying off too.

"How the heck am I supposed to tell the difference?" She dropped the controller and threw her hands in the air.

"Just pick your controller back up and attack the giant gorilla." Jaune pointed at the only character left on the screen.

"I should've figured Ciel would pick the monkey character…" Amethyst deadpanned as all three of their characters spawned.

"You're in for a world of hurt if you think a couple of plumbers and a singing pink thing have a chance!" Finally this game was starting to get interesting as all three of them ran at her with fresh percentages.

However, she wasn't called the queen of games for nothing.

Forty-five seconds later and all three of them were sent flying out of the ring with one perfectly timed smash. "Game!" The announcer declared as the last one exploded off screen and depleted their final stock.

"Piece of cake!" Ciel flashed them all a cocky grin as she placed her controller on the ground and stretched her arms above her head. Jaune and Joan let out perfectly in sync groans and as if pantomiming one another dropped their heads into their hands.

Amethyst didn't retort in the slightest but she did pull out her IPod and clicked her music on once again, if only to drown out Ciel's almost guaranteed bragging, which she had totally just earned the rights to. They ganged up on her and still got whooped!

"So who wants to go again?" She looked at the twins expectantly. Both of them shared a disparaging look before reluctantly nodding to one another. They then looked at Ciel with absolute resolve.

"This time will be different!" They declared and pointed at her dramatically, once more in perfect symmetry of one another.

"Oh, and what are you all playing?" All of them instinctively shivered and turned to see Violet standing over them. Instead of the usual glower though, her head was merely tilted quizzically and staring at the box on the floor.

"It was our group Christmas gift. The latest and greatest." Ciel tapped it gently. "I was just asserting my dominance over the rest of our siblings by showing them how it's done in the world of video games."

"Oh, sounds interesting." Violet picked the controller up but held it upside down. "I've never taken much interest in such devices myself but you were all screaming so excitedly I decided to come check it out."

A dangerous glint appeared in Ciel's eyes as an idea formed. She had never once beaten Violet in anything. This was finally her chance to be better than their eldest sister at something. She didn't even know how to hold the controller! "Why don't you join us? Looks like Amethyst is bowing out anyways."

"Oh no. I don't think I would be very good." Violet set the controller down and took a step away from it. "I would rather just watch the three of you play."

Ciel shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll just bully Jaune's character to my heart's content while you watch." Hook, line, and sinker.

Violet was plopped on the floor a moment later holding the controller once again, albeit still upside down, glaring intensely at the screen. Just as predicted, she couldn't let him get bullied, real world or virtual one. "Don't worry Jaune, I'll protect you."

"Violet, flip the controller over." Joan sighed as she corrected Violet's grip and began explaining the controls to her.

Ciel grinned evilly.

Two minutes later...

And Ciel was smacking herself in the forehead with her controller in frustration and disbelief.

Why!?

How was Violet so stupid good at everything she did!?

She hadn't even known how to hold the controller and yet after only the briefest of tutorials she smoked her!

"This is actually quite a satisfying feeling." Violet's eyes were glued to the screen in wonder. "I must partake in these television games more often." She didn't even know what they were called!

"We won!" Jaune and Joan were practically jumping around for joy, only restrained because they were still playing against one another. Whatever, their victory would be short-lived. Violet was going to cream them too. At least they should have, except only a second later and Violet's character went flying off the screen by one of Jaune's hits. Seriously? She couldn't even bring herself to attack him in the game?

Ciel let out an audible groan. Somehow, she didn't feel like playing anymore either.


	20. Cycle of Hate

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Cycle of Hate_

* * *

Autumn couldn't help but keep glancing over at a trio of what appeared to be first year girls.

She sat completely alone on the bleachers of Beacon's combat practice room, while Rouge hung out with Ruby and Weiss. It wasn't like she was sitting alone by choice though. She wanted to talk to those girls. She really did. The problem was, she had no idea what it was she would say to them.

It was entirely possible she could have been friends with those girls, maybe even teammates. If only Luteus Oblido hadn't decided to go all crazy and take over her body the week before she came to Beacon. Although that would certainly make for an interesting topic of conversation. Only problem was… she didn't exactly remember much of it. Only snippets here and there, really. In fact, Rouge seemed to remember far more from when she had been taken over and she had only been that way for fifteen minutes at best. Autumn wasn't sure why she couldn't remember.

She knew she must have done terrible things. Killed people even, almost killed several of Jaune's new friends. Whenever she tried to actively recall those memories though… it was quickly followed by a horrible burst of pain, almost like someone had driven a rail spike through her skull. This wasn't the only trigger for the headaches either. Not only couldn't she remember, she also couldn't use her Semblance… almost like there was some kind of mental block. Jaune had freed her first specifically because he needed her Semblance to save the others. Even if he didn't say this outright, she knew it was true.

Some part of her felt like she should be hurt about that. Truthfully though, she was too grateful to be free from the sword's grip to care why Jaune chose her first. Yet she couldn't even help him in the way he needed her most and that made her feel all but useless.

Even Rouge was doing something. Autumn let out a rather large sigh as she looked down at her youngest sister. Ruby was standing right next to her, going over the mechanics of some kind of contraption that they were gripping together and Weiss was standing on the other side of the arena, waiting for them to finish. Autumn couldn't exactly tell from here, but it looked kind of like the hilt to a sword, specifically a rapier. Was it actually possible that they were trying to recreate Fia Vesta? Autumn couldn't imagine why. Rouge surely wanted nothing to do with her old weapon. Autumn certainly didn't and she didn't even remember as much.

Besides, it wasn't like it was going to be nearly as powerful. The Sacred Swords ran on Ambience, and while even that power wasn't infinite, it wasn't nearly as limited as Dust. There was also the fact that they couldn't exactly leave Beacon. Even if they did want to go and help Jaune, which they did, it would just result in them ending up getting arrested and truly locked away which would only cause more trouble for their big brother than he already had.

At least Rouge was trying. Autumn honestly felt like that was more than she could say. She should be trying too. Her big brother needed her, actually needed her for something. It felt like so long since she had actually been needed by him. He was always trying to be so strong in front of her and Rouge. Never asking for their help yet always wanting to give it to them. That attitude of his frustrated her to no end in the past. He was the one who was injured. It should have been him that relied on them. Now though… they all needed each other.

A chorus of giggles cut off her train of thought. She glanced at the other girls again and then had to double take. Were they… looking at her? It certainly seemed like they were, and they were laughing too. The moment they saw her looking and they all averted their gazes away and brought their hands up to their mouths, but she could see their shoulders shake and hear the faintest whispers of gossip now that she was focusing in on them.

Was she being made fun of right now? It certainly kind of seemed that way, didn't it? The very idea that anyone would laugh at her, especially now, caused her stomach to churn and cheeks to heat up.

Did they think it was funny? Getting taken over by a ancient, malignant sword and forced to do all kinds of evil things against your will? Maybe they thought she was weak for getting controlled in the first place? The more she thought about it though, the more their incessant giggling was starting to piss her off.

Before she was even really aware of it she was on her feet, arms trembling and shoulders hiked. The girls still were trying to avoid her gaze and hadn't seen her get up. She was going to make them regret that. As she stalked over to them, one of them finally glanced back.

Her eyes narrowed and she saw the girl starting to reach behind her back for something. If they thought she was going to back off because they had weapons and she didn't then they had another thing coming. She couldn't believe she had even considered being friends with these girls.

The girl reaching for her weapon stopped midway and eyes went wide with fear. Autumn opened her mouth to call out but a more masculine voice from behind beat her to it. "Something freaking funny?" She whirled around to see a tall, muscular boy with orange hair and a large mace hefted over one shoulder.

"N-no!" One of the girls quickly belched out, and Autumn realized it wasn't her that they had gotten afraid of.

"Really?" The older boy sneered and stepped past her, crouching down so he was eye level with the other girls. "Cause I'm pretty sure I saw you laughing at my pal's sister. Or are you telling me that my eyes don't work?" The girls quickly shook their heads, two of them scooting back while the first remained frozen in place. "No? You weren't making fun of her or I'm a blind idiot? Which is it? Use your voice."

"S-she killed a bunch of people the other night!" One of the girl's finally spoke up. "Why're you defending her?" Those words hit Autumn like a cold slap to the face. She almost stumbled backwards but somehow managed to not shrink back as all three of the girls glared at her accusingly, instead staring right back so as not to show any weakness.

The boy snorted. "So let me get this straight? You read about how she killed people? How she sniped them from across the city, through buildings and vehicles, sometimes multiple at a time… and your first thought when you see her is to laugh in her face?" All three of them paled at his words and he gave a small nod. "Hmm. Brave choice."

That was the final straw for the girls as they all quickly picked up their things and scattered, putting as much distance between the two of them and themselves as possible. Autumn watched them go the whole way and right out the door before finally turning to look up at the boy that defended her, giving him a sharp glare. "I didn't need your help."

"I believe the proper response would be something more like; Oh thank you Mr Winchester! I really appreciate you sticking up for me!" The boy she finally recognized as Cardin gave her a cocky grin as he turned on her.

"I had it handled." She snapped, turning her head away from him.

"That's precisely why I intervened." Cardin placed his mace down and plopped onto the bleacher just next to her. "You can't just go starting fights. Your brother put his neck on the line to bring you back here. Getting kicked out for beating up other students would be a pitiful way to repay him."

Autumn flinched at the truth in his words. She was supposed to be making things better for her brother, not harder. With an irritated sigh, she plopped down next to Cardin. "...What am I supposed to do then? Just let them make fun of me and my sisters?"

"I take it you haven't been on the internet lately...or watched the news." That was more of a statement than a question. She shook her head anyways. "Well… people are saying a lot worse about you and your sisters than anything those brats could come up with."

Well, that was comforting to know. "And you're telling me this... why?" If he was trying to make her feel better he was doing a horrible job.

"I'm saying it's something you're probably going to have to get used to. This all isn't just going to go away once your brother saves you all, either. If you go picking fights every time someone looks at you wrong, you're only going to be feeding into the rumors."

"That's not fair though." It wasn't like it was them that had been doing all this. It was the swords that were to blame. Couldn't they just explain that to people? Surely if they talked to them they would understand, right?

"Life isn't fair. That's probably not something you ever really had to learn growing up. But that's the truth. People don't care whether or not you're really to blame. They only see someone they can target." Cardin had a faraway look in his eye while he said this, and she realized he must have gone through something like this once too.

"How... did you get people to quit bullying you then?" If anything, his tactic just now wasn't much better than what she would have done. He just used his size and stature to intimidate them.

Cardin looked surprised for a second before he gave an amused snort. "Bullied? Me? Nah, I'm the one that used to be a bully." What!? Then why was he talking so high and mighty?! "In fact, I used to bully your sister pretty hard." Autumn's eyes narrowed dangerously and she scooted an inch further away from the boy next to her.

"Then your sister saved my life… and I realized how strong she really was. The truth was, she could have stood up to me at any time but never did. I still don't know why, but I think maybe I'm a little closer to getting it."

"..." She didn't say anything at all in response for a minute. She really wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with a guy that used to bully her older sister. Did Jaune know? He probably did, he was Joan's twin after all. Yet he seemed to trust this guy anyways for some reason. And she kind of wanted to know the answer he thought he was getting to. "...What helped you get closer to figuring it out?"

"Watching you and those girls." Cardin responded immediately, almost as if waiting for the question like there was no doubt she would ask it. "If you had started a fight with them… you were only going to bring things full circle. I used to have a lot of hatred in my heart. And I took that out on a lot of different people. People who ended up hating me back. Joan never hated me though… and because of that, she was able to break the cycle. I'm not saying all my hatred is gone or anything, but I've found better ways to express it now."

"And what ways would that be?" He had looked plenty intimidating while talking to those girls and she had sensed a fair share of hostility.

"Using it to kill Grimm for starters. And getting even at anyone that picks on my friends so they don't have to." He tapped the handle of his mace and gave her a sideways smirk.

She only snorted in response and averted her eyes. "You and I aren't friends."

"That's true." Cardin didn't deny it. "But I consider Joan my friend. And you're her sister. That's close enough for me." She got it now, this guy was just an idiot. Although she supposed she understood a little about what he was trying to tell her. No matter how much the world hated her and her siblings… she couldn't return that hate. It would only cause them more problems in the end.

An eruption of flames from the arena caught her and Cardin's attention and they looked down just in time to see a raging inferno completely engulf Weiss. Ruby and Rouge shrieked and dropped the rapier hilt, cutting off the blastwave coming from it.

"You couple of dolts!" Only a second later, and a perfectly unharmed Weiss stepped out of the smoke, face red with anger. "I told you to adjust the Dust output on the dial! You probably used up the whole canister with that one shot! Do you have any idea how expensive that was!?"

Ruby was already mumbled some kind of apology but whatever it was she was saying it was drowned out by Weiss' continuous yells. Autumn was halfway out of her seat, ready to run down to Rouge and make sure she was okay.

Of course the fire hadn't hurt her because of her Semblance, but that image had to have looked horrifyingly familiar to that first night for her and she was afraid it was going to give her sister violent flashbacks. Fortunately that didn't seem to be the case as Rouge gently picked the beginning of the weapon back up. The look in her eyes was… mystified. It was like she was looking at something that was truly hers. Not some family heirloom passed down, but something that was made specifically for her.

Autumn felt a small knot of jealousy tie in her gut as she saw the look on Rouge's face. Building a weapon was supposed to be pointless… but she couldn't help but kind of want another one of her own after seeing the expression on Rouge. Something that wasn't going to hurt people, but that she could use to help her brother and sisters.

"If you ask, I'm pretty sure the kid will make you one too. She's a bit of a weapon freak." He must have been talking about Ruby. Autumn had seen her around occasionally at Signal. She was Rouge's only real friend while they were attending. She had built that Scythe of hers so Autumn knew she was the real deal.

"I-I can't ask her to do something like that for me." Even so, it wasn't like she was friends with her. There was no way she would take up building another weapon on top of Rouge's.

Cardin shook his head before cupping both hands around his mouth. "Hey Pipsqueak!" His shout echoed across the whole room and Ruby twirled around immediately, looking for the source. Once she saw it was Cardin her head tilted curiously.

Cardin hiked a thumb right at Autumn. "She wants you to make her a weapon too!"

"What!?" Autumn shot up and quickly began shaking her head back and forth, twintails whipping from side to side. Before she could even shoot an accusatory look at Cardin she was nearly bowled over by a blast of wind and rose petals danced around her.

Just under her nose, Ruby's silver eyes were staring up at her expectantly, practically shining with excitement. "Are. You. Serious!?" Both of her tiny fists were held up beneath her chin, trembling so badly Autumn thought they might go flying off.

"Uhh…" Should she say yes? She kind of felt like if she didn't it would be the equivalent of kicking a puppy. "...If it isn't too much trouble?"

In a flash a Ruby was gone again, practically hopping around the bleachers, constantly appearing in different places. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Yes! First I got to build a flame rapier and now lightning gauntlets! Oh, oh, oh! I need to go get ideas for the design from Yang! Weiss, I'm going to need lightning Dust! Someone get my sketchbook! No, wait! I'll get it myself!" A second later and she vanished, nowhere to be seen.

Autumn blinked once. Then again. She wasn't exactly sure what had just happened. She supposed Ruby was going to build her a weapon? Cardin didn't have to look so smug about it though.

"Told you she would do it."

* * *

Blake's exposed cat ear twitched in minor annoyance.

The best part about being constrained to a hospital bed was supposed to be that she could read a few books in peace, as in without any disturbances whatsoever. Of course, with a person like Yang Xiao Long for a partner, anything resembling peace was almost surely an impossibility.

And she knew Yang didn't have much respect for the boundaries of her Faunus heritage, after all, she had one time teased her with a laser pointer just to get her attention. But did she really have to dangle feathers in front of her face while she was trying to read? Apparently so.

With a frustrated sigh, Blake snapped her book shut and gave Yang her annoyed, but nevertheless undivided, attention. "...Yes?" She practically hissed those words.

"Heya partner!" Yang held a hand up in casual greeting and Blake was pretty sure she felt her eye twitch.

"Don't you have someone else to bug?" Where were Ruby and Weiss? Actually, where was Jaune? Yang seemed to have taken a liking to tormenting the poor guy. Better him than her anyways.

"You know you love me." Yang spread her arms wide, almost as if waiting for Blake to magically get well enough in the next couple seconds to spring from her bed and give her a hug. Even if she did somehow actually feel well enough to, there was no way she was hugging her right now. "Besides, between you, Ren, and Pyrrha, you're definitely the most fun to tease." Yang hiked a thumb behind her and at the other two in the infirmary with them right now.

A wall of curtains separated Blake and Ren's beds from the rest of the room and gave the two of them at least some privacy from all the others who were currently in the infirmary and those that were visiting them. Even excluding their group that had gone after Jaune's sisters, this was still a combat school and there was always a fair number of occupants.

One of those curtains drew back slightly, causing a barely audible clink as they did, but it was enough to draw the attention of all four members of the room to the blonde boy who stood just outside. "Uhh… Hey." Jaune rubbed the back of his head as he stepped inside.

Blake couldn't help but notice the huge smile that spread across Yang's face as she hopped to her feet. "Well look what the cat dragged in." Every single person within earshot had to fight the urge to let out an audible groan as Yang winked playfully at Blake.

"Sorry I didn't come to see you yesterday, Blake, Ren." Jaune did his best to just ignore Yang and her horrible sense of humor. Which certainly was no easy feat.

"It's okay! We're sure you had your reasons." Pyrrha quickly interjected before Jaune could offer up any kind of excuse and all sets of eyes turned to her curiously. She quickly began to wave her arms in front of herself. "N-not that I know what those reasons may or may not be. I'm sure they were very important though." Ren elbowed her in the hip and she immediately snapped her mouth shut.

"Okay…" Yang drawled, tilting her head oddly at the two of them, not that Blake could blame her. That was certainly weird, especially coming from Pyrrha of all people.

"Anyways…" Jaune continued again, apparently having gotten good at dealing with all their odd quirks. "I just wanted to thank you guys. All of you. If every single one of you hadn't come out to help me the other night… I might not have been able to save Autumn." He looked them each in the eye after saying those words, finally coming to a rest when his eyes met with Blake's.

Something about him… was different. She couldn't say exactly what about him it was that changed. Somehow, he just seemed more relaxed, maybe even natural. It was almost like some kind of burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Maybe because he saved another sister?

His intent was also clear as he looked at her though. She had nearly died trying to break Autumn's sword the other night. Hell, for several seconds she actually _had_ died. She could say that it was just because she was paying back a favor, but to Jaune it was now much more than that. From the bottom of his heart, she could see how grateful he truly was.

"I think this calls for a group hug!" Yang wrapped one arm around Blake and pulled her in, unfortunately snuggling her face against Yang's ample bosom, holding the other arm out towards Jaune expectantly.

To both their surprise, he gave a small smile. "I guess a group hug isn't a bad idea." And strolled right over to them, wrapping one arm around Yang's back and placing the other hand on Blake's shoulder.

"You uhh… feeling alright there, Lady Killer?" Yang was looking at Jaune like he grew a second head as he stepped away from them.

Jaune's nose wrinkled and he scratched his head as he appeared to ponder Yang's question. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" He gave up after only about a second of thought.

"You seem…" Yang spun a hand in the air as if trying to grasp the answer. "...different." She finished lamely.

Jaune quirked an eyebrow and just shrugged. "Well, I'm not really sure if that's supposed to mean anything, but okay." He nodded as if he just accepted it like that. "Anyways, let me know when Nora is up. I want to thank her too." He pointed towards Ren and Pyrrha and they merely nodded, slightly dumbfounded.

"Great!" Jaune clapped his hands together and took a huge step back. "Well uhh… that was it. I gotta go visit the others still. So I'll see you for our sparing practice later, Yang?"

"Yeah…" Yang nodded slowly, still clearly trying to figure out what it was that seemed so off about him. Jaune gave several more exaggerated nods and finally stepped out. Several seconds later and they heard as he shuffle further down the infirmary, looking for the others. "Please tell me I'm not the only one that thought that was weird."

Yang looked around frantically for support, and Blake was quick to nod. That was certainly not like the Jaune they had come to know. Sure, he was still awkward but it was almost completely different. Before he shirked from even the slightest amount of physical contact and usually stuttered over himself, always second-guessing his wording around them. Yet even though this Jaune was different, he also seemed familiar.

"I feel like that may have been... the real Jaune." Ren finally spoke up, and they all turned to him. "The first time any of us ever really met him was after everything had already happened. His sisters were gone… home destroyed, and parent's dead. It makes sense that he would be a little shell-shocked from all that."

"What the heck changed though?" Yang scratched her head, clearly still not able to wrap her mind around it. "He was even more reclusive than normal last night. And I wasn't able to find him at all during the day. Now this?"

"Maybe he was just finally sorting some things out?" Pyrrha offered cryptically. Blake narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the spartan. Whatever had changed inside Jaune, Pyrrha seemed to know what it was. Whether that was because she had something to do with it or not, she had no way of knowing and it was obvious she wasn't going to tell them.

"Well... I suppose it doesn't matter much." So Blake just went along with what Pyrrha said with a small nod. After all, it was a good thing Jaune was moving on, even if only a little at a time. And it would be nice for Jaune to finally start acting like himself around them all the time, and not just occasionally in front of his sisters. Blake figured Yang would be happy about this the most. She was the one trying the hardest, along with Ruby, to get him to act comfortable around them. And yet for some reason, even though it finally seemed to be happening...

...Yang was the one of them that looked the most conflicted.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** As of posting this chapter, Volume Three of RWBY has officially started, although I haven't seen it yet. I watch it on Crunchyroll so I'm a day late. I look forward to seeing what happens in the show. This is pretty AU so anything major that happens shouldn't affect too much my plans going forward, but I may make some slight changes depending on if it's feasible.

Halloween is coming up so I decided to do an omake for that after receiving several prompts for such.

* * *

 **Holiday Omake**

 _Halloween Special_

* * *

People often asked her how she was able to do it: Raising eight kids, that is.

She always laughed and told them it actually wasn't all that hard. To which they always tilted their heads in confusion, and gave her a look of pure and utter disbelief. They were never able to comprehend it, always thinking she was just being modest or trying not to complain.

But she always meant those words. It wasn't hard at all, raising eight children, because honestly, her kids practically raised one another. They were always looking out for each other and for the most part all got along so well. Sure, they fought from time to time but they always overcame their differences together, without her even having to interfere.

She was incredibly proud of all her children. Having said all that though, while it may have been easy, it certainly wasn't cheap. Nevermind the fact that they had to pay for all their educations, and Hunter schools weren't cheap, there was also all the food, clothes, more clothes, and don't even get her started on all the birthdays.

And then there were all the other holidays. Halloween being one of those such costly ones. Yet as much as it cost her to have to dress all her children up, she always loved seeing them all in costume and they loved trick-or-treating together. The amount of candy the eight of them looted every year practically made up for the cost of the costumes too.

"Are you ready, kids?" She called from the porch of their home. "I wanna take a group photo of you all before we go!" Not too many years ago and she had been helping them all into their costumes. Now they all insisted that they could help one another.

"Coming mother!" Rouge waddled out first, her siblings likely all pitching in to help their youngest sister. And her mom couldn't help but gush as she saw her adorable little daughter, dressed in a large pumpkin suit with a little stem hat on her head. "You're just the cutest little thing…" She cooed, bending over and pinching one of Rouge's cheek. She blushed at her mother's praise.

Autumn came running out next, wearing a bright yellow suit. On either cheek she had two giant red stickers and pointed yellow ears on a hairband. "Oh Autumn…" Her mother paused as she tried to think how to compliment her. "...What are you again?"

"Mom! I'm Pikachu! From that game you got brother for his birthday!" Autumn crossed her arms and huffed, averting her gaze in a pout.

"Oh, of course… I remember now." She gave a small chuckle and rolled her eyes as she ruffled Autumn's hair, careful not to mess up her costume ears. Mental note, try and remember all those little creatures in that game again. There couldn't be too many, right?

"Our turn! Our turn!" Joan and Jaune came zipping out next, arms spread wide as they chased one another and ran in circles around their mother.

Like every year, the two of them dressed identically, always eager to do everything as one. This year though, Jaune's hands had been injured and he had taken to wearing wraps that went halfway up his arms. So his twin had suggested the two of them start with that as their costume and now they were wrapped from head to toe as a couple mummies.

"You two are going to unravel if you don't slow down!" And speaking of every year… Olivia came running out, dressed as the same thing this year as she was each and every year before, a witch. She had a big pointy hat, a long black dress, and carried around one of their old brooms (which she usually used to dust the porch of every stop on the way). Sometimes she thought Olivia dressed this way just so she had an excuse to do that.

"Mom! Mom! How do I look!?" Ciel ran forward, practically knocking Olivia out of the way and stopped right in front of her, spinning around and letting her silky blue dress twirl with the momentum. Nestled on her head was a white wig with a twirled ponytail that draped over her shoulder.

"You look wonderful, sweetie." She gently touched Ciel's exposed shoulder, and for a moment marveled at how pretty one of her daughters was growing up to be. "Can you sing me the song from the movie?"

Ciel nodded enthusiastically and skipped back, inhaling a deep breath. "Let it go! Let it-"

"Please stop. You're going to make me stab my ears." Amethyst deadpanned, walking out casually, hands in her pockets, and headphones wrapped around her neck. Ciel glared at her, cheeks puffed out. She had a feeling Ciel was going to get her back with a prank later. Especially once they were all hyped up on sugar.

"And what are you supposed to be, Amethyst?" Now that she looked at her, she wasn't sure if she dressed any different than she usually did.

"I'm a girl that likes rock music." Oh, so she really wasn't any different than normal. Ah well. Not all her kids could get in the spirit of things she supposed. Seven out of eight wasn't too bad.

"That just leaves one more…" She turned back to the front door just as her eldest daughter walked out, donned from head to toe in the armor worn by samurai. Lately she had taken a great interest in that foreign culture, probably because of her Sacred Sword which was a katana.

"Looks like we are all ready then." Violet gave Amethyst a once over but then shrugged, probably knowing it was a lost cause as well.

"Not just yet, I still need a group photo." Their mother held up a camera and gave them all a playful wink. "This one is for the family album. So everyone gather up."

"'Kaaay" With a chorus from a majority of the siblings they all ran back to the porch. The younger four gathered on the bottom step while the older siblings stood on the one above.

"Alright, now everyone do your best imitation of your costume!" She had to try her hardest not to giggle at the myriad of different postures all eight of them took, the twins naturally in perfect sync.

In her humble opinion, the photo she got that night may have been the best one she ever took.


	21. CFVY

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _CFVY_

* * *

"You are surprisingly talented at this." Yatsuhashi complimented, to which Jaune gave only a small grunt in reply. He wasn't trying to be rude or anything, it was just taking all of his concentration to focus on the gridded board in front of him.

Finally he placed his hand on one of the wedge-shaped pieces and scooted it forward. "My sister taught me to play." He leaned back in his chair and finally brought his eyes up to meet Yatsuhashi, who had quirked an eyebrow inquisitively.

"That is equally surprising. Not many people have heard of this game. It came from my home country, which is a rather small island off the coast of Vacuo. My people tend to be rather… isolated, so things rarely get exported." Yatsuhashi casually moved a piece as he talked and once more it became Jaune's turn.

Jaune had to fight the urge to give an irritated sigh. Despite Yatsuhashi's claim that he was talented, Jaune was only remotely keeping up because he was putting a lot of thought into each move, something the older man didn't seem to need to bother with, proving the true gap in talent between them. "Violet's sword, Ostrum Tempus, is a katana. She believed that to truly understand her weapon, it was imperative that she learned about the culture it came from. So she picked up a bunch of things, Shogi being one of them."

He used to love playing this game with her too. Not that he ever won. However, he had gotten pretty decent by playing with her so much. Not that any of their other sisters would. All it took was one brutal thrashing from Violet for the rest of them to quit for good. Jaune honestly thought he would never play the game again. He especially didn't expect to be playing it again here in Beacon's library against an upperclassman. Or… would it be more accurately to call him a friend?

He wasn't sure what to quantify his relationship to Yatsuhashi as. In fact, he wasn't sure what to call anyone here. He thought for sure Yatsuhashi must have saw him as some kind of burden, especially after he spent the better part of their last conversation breaking down in front of him. Yet the large eastern man had approached him almost familiarly, offering to teach him to play a game.

"Well I am thankful that she did. It has been several years since I have played a game against someone that actually knows the rules. Velvet sometimes tries to humor me with a game, but it is not very often." Again, Yatsuhashi said all of this with a big smile that Jaune couldn't help but return. Maybe he was thinking about this too hard? Calling him a friend sounded right… and nice. To have a friend of the same gender.

He relaxed a little and began thinking about his next move. "What even made you want to play with me?"

"I thought it would be a good chance to discuss strategy with one another, for when we next go for the swords." Jaune supposed that made sense. Eventually they were going to have to track down more swords, and if they wanted to avoid another repeat of the last two times he had gone into battle against them, they were going to need to get organized. "I must admit though, I am kind of curious about this Ostrum Tempus."

"O-oh?" Jaune's hand paused just over the piece he had been about to move.

"Hmm." The bigger man nodded. "You claim the sword is a katana. And your sister studied my culture to master it. However, is it not odd that a katana was given a name such as Ostrum Tempus?" Ah, Jaune understood now. It was true, to most people, the naming conventions for the swords didn't make sense. The Sacred blades were inspired by weapons from every corner of Remnant, but all their names shared a single convention.

"I don't think the names we call the swords now were what the creator intended for them." Jaune answered as he finally moved his piece. "The swords were named a while after their creation, usually for the deeds they performed in battle. Those names had little bearing on the origin of the weapon or their culture."

"So do you not think the creator had chosen something perhaps more fitting for them?" Once again Yatsuhashi made his move with little thought, seemingly more involved in their conversation than the game.

"Very little is known about Noir Arc from what Rouge and I have been able to gather." Jaune simply shrugged, but then he remembered something that the swords had said the other night. "Although I don't think the swords are too pleased with the names my ancestors made up for them. They didn't sound too thrilled by whatever they were called before that either. Instead they prefer to use my sisters' names."

"Viridis Teresa did mention as much while we faced her. She was much different than the Olivia I remember." At this, Jaune once again paused. Yatsuhashi… knew his older sister? He supposed it shouldn't have been too surprising. They would have attended Beacon with one another for two years after all. What he was implying though was that he knew her a little more personally than that.

"She used to tutor us." He suddenly continued, answering Jaune's unasked questions. "I in particular spent quite a bit of time with her as we both wield rather large swords. However, in all the time the two of us spent together… she never made any mention of you."

Jaune gave another small grunt and averted his eyes back to the Shogi board. "That's not particularly surprising. Many of my sisters didn't really talk about me outside of the house." Which was probably why everyone was so damn surprised whenever they found out there was a brother in their family.

"I was just curious if you knew the reasoning for that." One of Yatsuhashi's hands gently rested on Jaune's shoulder. "I did not mean any offense. I am simply trying to understand you and your family a little better. Perhaps for the same reason your sister tried to understand her sword?"

Jaune have a small sigh as he shook his head. "It's fine… I know you didn't mean anything by it." He gave a brief pause as he considered his next words. "My sisters… they care about me. I know they do. Some of them had weird ways of showing it, but that's just how they are. I think though, there might be a small part inside all of them that was ashamed."

"..." Yatsuhashi didn't say anything to interrupt, but Jaune could tell he shifted uncomfortably at the words that left his mouth.

"...You know about my hands now. When I was a child, my father etched these glyphs onto them with a dagger. All for the sake of protecting the Seven Sacred Arc Swords, of which all seven of my sisters were now wielders of. This wasn't explicitly any of their faults, but the fact that even one of them was chosen meant that a new glyph bearer was going to have to be branded. As the only one not compatible with one of the swords, it wound up being me." Only now he knew it hadn't been the sword's choice he wasn't chosen.

"It sounds to me… like you all had your demons." He certainly had that right.

"Yeah." Jaune agreed with a mirthful chuckle. "But we also had one another. So I think it balanced out pretty well." At least they did until those swords took over. And that was why he was positive, if they had any chance of overcoming this, they all needed to be together again.

Yatsuhashi opened his mouth to respond but a sudden ringing interrupted their conversation. It took both of them several seconds to reason that it was Yatsuhashi's scroll that was going off and the large man fumbled for the device. It was actually amazing he was able to navigate the tiny display at all with his massive fingers but somehow he managed to answer the call, bringing it up to his ear. "Vel-"

"Yatsu! Where are you?" Velvet's hysteric call caused the large man to lean his ear away from the device and flinch in pain. Her cry had been so loud Jaune had no problem hearing it from here.

Gingerly, Yatsuhashi brought his ear back to the device. "I am with Jaune in the library. What's wrong?"

"Coco… Coco's awake! And she's gone to see Fox!" Several emotions flashed across Yatsuhashi's face in the span of under a second. The predominating one though was without a doubt fear.

"Turn the tracking on your Scroll on and stay with her. I will be with you as soon as I can." Yatsuhashi hung up as soon as he said that. As calmly as he possibly could he bowed deeply to Jaune. "I apologize, but I must put an early end to our game this time."

"I'll go with you." If he thought he was surprised by how assertively he said those words, it was nothing compared to the look of brief shock on Yatsuhashi's face. Jaune really felt he should be there though. He didn't know what Yatsuhashi planned to tell Coco. If he had any intention of sharing the truth though, than Jaune wanted to be there so he could make sure she knew it wasn't her fault. He doubted she wanted to hear anything from him at all, but that couldn't deter him now.

Yatsuhashi gave a quick nod. "I would appreciate that. Let us hurry." He turned to the door and began to hurry out the library. Jaune was quickly behind him, sparing one last glance back at the board game they were leaving behind. He still wasn't really sure if it was right to call Yatsuhashi a friend or not, but right now he did know he wanted to be there for him, and offer help in whatever way he could.

Even if it was only for being a shoulder to lean on.

* * *

When Velvet said that Coco was going to see Fox, Yatsuhashi knew that could actually only mean one thing.

Fox… was no longer here. And he didn't mean that spiritually, as in he wasn't among the living, but that he physically was no longer here. Almost immediately after being declared as deceased, his body would have been shipped off of Beacon grounds and to his family, for them to decide what to do with it.

So in other words, there was nothing left at Beacon for Coco to see. Which in and of itself might be a blessing. If she saw his body, there would be no denying the truth. That it was her gun that had killed him. As far as she knew right now, it must have been Olivia that split him in half. If he was being honest… he still hadn't come to a decision on whether or not it should remain that way. He hadn't even told Velvet the truth.

For now he wanted to keep it a secret, but he wasn't sure if that was something he could hide forever. Coco was a strong, independant woman, but even he didn't know what that knowledge would do to her. If Coco one day did find out the truth though… and she knew he had been hiding it from her the whole time… it was that very possibility that scared Yatsuhashi the most.

It was wrong to want to tell her for that reason and that reason alone, but he really believed that his team might be able to come back from the truth, but not if they discovered he had been lying to them.

He shook this train of thought loose. He would just have to trust his gut when the time came to make a choice. Which was possibly closer than he wanted to admit. He and Jaune were nearing the cliffs leading to the Emerald Forest.

Located just past those cliffs, was a gated fence. And behind that worn down, rusted fence, was a graveyard of sorts. There were no actual bodies buried at Beacon. The bodies were always sent back to the family of the deceased, just like what had been done with Fox. However, that didn't mean the dead were forgotten. Sure, they were marked in the system, but that felt a little hollow, a less personal way to remember their fallen brothers and sisters.

So there was a sizable plot of land dedicated specifically to all those who had died while attending the prestigious Beacon Academy. The ground was always well maintained, the grass mowed short, the leaves raked to the sides, and the small stone plaques on the ground always seemed to glow, as if someone polished each and every one without missing a day.

Yatsuhashi wished that he could say a majority of the plaques remained blank… but that wasn't the case. Beacon had been a Hunter-training institution for many generations now. And over the generations, many had failed to graduate, instead perishing midway through their training. Some died during Beacon's unusual Initiation. Others passed away on their first mission against the Grimm. A few students couldn't handle the pressure and committed suicide. There were even those that failed the Graduation Exam, getting killed just shy of the finish line.

Every single one of those were remembered the same way, no matter how long or short your time at Beacon, your name was marked on a perfectly indistinguishable plaque from the rest. No one plaque was more grandiose or less than the others. Because regardless of what reason you were gone, that was just it. Death was the ultimate equalizer.

Kneeled in front of one of the thousands of plaques, still dressed in Beacon's infirmary gown, was his team leader. Velvet stood just behind her, hand hovering hesitantly over her back and ears twitching occasionally. Tears streamed down both their eyes and he knew they had found the one with the name that indisputably spit the truth in their face: Fox Alistair, now joined all the many others that came before him.

He slowed to a stop as he approached them, and could only silently stare at the name himself. This was the first time he had come out here since hearing the news. It had probably been marked the very morning after, but he had been avoiding coming to see it. The fact that his friend was gone… it was just already too real, but somehow seeing this only hammered in that truth even harder. His heart twist all over again as if he was just hearing the news for the first time.

Fox had been with them on so many missions. They had so many near misses throughout their time together. Yet every time they came out alive, sometimes a little worse for wear, but alive. Their missions had taken them all over the world, encountering all kinds of horrible Grimm, and unspeakable horrors. Only for him to die only several miles away from where they slept together, ate together, trained together, lived together. In the middle of the street, shot down by his own teammate.

A teammate who now wept over his marker, where only his name signified he had ever even been here. His name and their broken spirits. He had seen Coco before on rough mornings. She by nature wasn't a morning person, at least not until she had her coffee. But he had never seen her look like this.

Even in her sleepwear, Coco embodied style and glamour. Yet all of that usual flashiness was missing, and instead she was reduced to the girl knelt on the ground in front of him, whose hands were practically tearing at the grass in front of the plaque. Brown hair was matted and disheveled from days spent on the hospital bed, the area around her normally concealed eyes were red and inflamed.

"Yatsu…" Coco's cracked voice was the first indication that she had any idea he had even been here. Despite himself, he straightened up as she called out to him and her eyes turned to look up into his, almost pleadingly, desperate for answers. "...I gotta know the truth, Yatsu."

Those words pierced him right through the heart. The truth… did she…?

"I could have sworn for a moment, just a moment-" Coco continued, her voice wavering, completely unlike anything he had ever heard from her "-that in the mirror of that claymore… I could see Fox standing there. And it looked like it was my bullets tearing him apart, and his blood spraying everywhere." Velvet gasped.

Yatsuhashi's mouth was dry. Before he could formulate a response, Coco continued. "That's impossible though… right? Fox had been cut in half. I watched as Olivia cut him in half. The image I saw of myself shooting Fox… that was the illusion, right? Please Yatsu, tell me that was the illusion. I swear, if you say Fox died when Olivia cut him in half, I'll believe it. I just need… I need to know for sure."

Of course that was an illusion! There was no way it was your gun that killed Fox! Why would you even for a second believe that!?

Those were the words he wanted to shout at her. Those were the words he almost shouted at her. His mouth was opened wide and a breath of air that was supposed to be just those words escaped, before coming to a choking stop.

Coco just told him she would believe anything he told her. If he said those words, she wouldn't question him. They could go their lives without ever having to believe she killed their teammate, their friend. She would never have to bear that guilt. It was a no-brainer, that was the right choice. He would bear that secret forever, and keep his team safe.

So then… why couldn't he just say it?

He collapsed down to his knees, the force from the impact shaking the ground enough to stumble the other three. He grit his teeth together and squeezed his eyes shut, fingers burrowing into the dirt.

He had to tell her it wasn't her fault. He had to tell her that. It felt like his mind was tearing itself apart trying to accept this. Fox wasn't killed by Coco. Fox was not killed by Coco. "Yatsu!" She called to him desperately, over the ringing inside his head that he hadn't even realized was there.

Then all at once, it went quiet. The pulsing pain in his head subsided and the feeling of dirt underneath his fingernails vanished as he focused in on only one thing. The small, but gentle hand that now rested on his shoulder. He lifted his head and tilted it to look slightly behind him, right into Jaune's blue eyes.

There was no judgement in them. They didn't tell him to make a choice of any kind, or try to impart some kind of silent wisdom onto him. No, instead those blue eyes only offered him unconditional support, regardless of what decision he made, those eyes told him that it would be the right one.

And it was in that moment, Yatsuhashi knew there was only one right choice.

He turned back to Coco, his shoulders naturally straightening as he did. "What you saw in the mirror… was not the illusion."

Coco's eyes stared into his, almost not reacting at all to his words right away. Instead it was Velvet that spoke first. "Yatsu! Tell her that isn't true! Coco didn't… it wasn't Coco's fault!"

"I never said Coco was at fault." He quickly amended, glancing away from his leader to look at the rabbit Faunus. "Viridis Teresa deceived us all. She is to blame." Velvet bit her lower lip and he could tell she was fighting desperately with this news. He hadn't wanted to believe it at first either. He still didn't.

"...You all need to go." For just a second, Yatsuhashi thought he imagined those words. They had been spoken so quietly, it almost sounded like the wind had blown them from somewhere far away. He turned back to Coco, who had averted her eyes to the ground, brown hair obscuring them.

"Coco…" Velvet's ear twitched, her enhanced hearing likely having caught those words better than he had.

"I said leave." Coco repeated louder this time, a certain fierceness to her voice that hadn't been present before.

Yatsuhashi's brow furrowed. "We can't-"

"Get the fuck away from me! Get out!" Coco screamed so loudly Velvet shrieked and jumped backwards. Yatsuhashi recoiled as if being slapped, stumbling up to his feet. His mouth opened and closed, unsure of what to say. "Didn't you fucking hear me!? Get outta here!" Even as Coco shrieked these words, her eyes wouldn't leave the ground.

Velvet's ears curled and once more tears began to stream down her eyes. He knew he couldn't let her be near their leader anymore. This was the right decision, he knew it had to be. That meant Coco was going to need time to come to terms first though. He quickly stepped around the crouching girl and wrapped an arm around his partner, beginning to lead her away.

He didn't realize the fourth person there hadn't followed him until it was too late. "This is all my fault." Jaune's voice reached his ears and he spun around to see the blonde had crouched down in front of Coco. His fists were gripped tightly, and jaw locked in firm determination. "I should have been able to break Olivia's sword the other night. I even had the chance at one point, but I passed it up. Because of that, you had to fight her, and Fox was killed."

Jaune said these words with such assurance, as if he truly believed them himself. He wasn't saying it to comfort Coco, it was more like he was simply stating the facts for her to hear. "...Are you telling me to take my anger out on you?" For the first time since hearing the truth, Coco looked up, and the fiery light in her eyes frightened Yatsuhashi.

"If it means you won't have to take it out on my sister, that's fine." Yatsuhashi should have moved before he even said those words. After they had passed Jaune's mouth, it was too late to stop what happened next.

 _Crack_

He hadn't even seen Coco move. One second her arms were at her sides, the next and one fist was extended and Jaune was sent sprawling backwards. His lip was swollen and bleeding, her punch having pushed past his Aura, and his eyes were unfocused, yet somehow he managed to struggle back up to his knees.

Which was as far as he got.

 _Crack_

This time Yatsuhashi saw it as Coco swung at Jaune's face with all her might. "Is this what you wanted!?" She screamed and climbed over his body, grabbing him by the shirt and lifting him up. "Do you think beating you up is going to make me feel better?" She slammed him back against the ground.

"Do you think it's going to make me forget about what I did to Fox?" She lifted him up again.

"I'm not one of your sisters that needs to be protected! You don't have to try and play your stupid blame game with me." And once more slammed the back of his head against the dirt.

"Coco!" Yatsuhashi's voice overlapped with Velvet's as they sprinted forward together. They each wrapped an arm around an elbow and pulled her up, prying her grip from Jaune's shirt.

"Get off of me!" She shrieked and flailed, freeing herself from their grip. "I thought I told you guys to get out of here already."

"Coco please…" Velvet tried to plead with her silently but she wouldn't listen, turning away from them.

"Take him with you this time. Before I shoot him too." She stalked over the the marker with Fox's name and plopped once more in front of it.

"Jaune…" Yatsuhashi placed one hand beneath the blonde's back and gently lifted him up.

"P-please don't be mad at Coco. She can be violent sometimes… but she usually doesn't just punch people like that." Velvet gripped her hands together and kept glancing between the two of them.

Jaune gave a small chortle and wiped the blood away from his chin with the back of his hand. "Don't worry about it. I admit though, none of my sisters ever punched me like that. She packs a wallop."

"Why… did you do that?" Yatsuhashi didn't understand. They just had to give her time. She didn't need to blow off steam like that. Did he really think she was going to try and take it out on his sister?

Jaune simply shrugged. "I'm not really sure." His balance finally stabled and Yatsuhashi slowly pulled away, hovering over him incase he fell forward at any given moment. The three of them began to walk away, leaving Coco to stare at Fox's name. "Maybe it's just because… before now, Coco has only been a stranger to me."

Yatsuhashi shook his head. "People normally do not try to get strangers to punch them."

"Not unless you're trying to become their friend."

"That… doesn't make sense." Velvet's ears twitched in confusion, of which Yatsuhashi fully shared.

Jaune gave a small chuckle, and the two older teens shared a concerned look. Had Coco knocked his head around a little too much? "It really doesn't, does it? I guess I was just thinking about something my mom used to tell me is all."

"...And that is?" They passed outside the gate, officially leaving the cemetery behind them.

"Strangers are simply friends you haven't met yet."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

The omake was inspired by a chat I had with greyshinobi1

* * *

 **Omake 17**

 _Big Sister_

* * *

"Jaune, come back!" Olivia gave a small start as she heard the front door burst open, quickly followed by Joan's yell for her twin.

"Just leave me alone already!" Jaune hollered back and she heard the two of them as they maneuvered throughout the house, making their way to their shared bedroom.

"Those guys were just being stupid! You don't need to listen to anything those jerks say!" Joan tried to reason with him, but what exactly had happened remained a mystery to Olivia.

Jaune's only response was the slamming of a door, almost surely the one to their room. Several seconds later and she heard Joan repeated beating on it. "Jaune! Come on…"

With a tired sigh, Olivia snapped shut the book she had been reading and climbed to her feet. If something was bothering Jaune badly enough that he was even locking out his own twin, it must have been serious. It was better she got involved know, or the next person Joan was likely to get would be Violet. And knowing her, she would kick the door down to get to him if she had to.

"Joan, what happened?" Olivia called quietly as she turned the corner of the hallway. Her younger sisters blonde hair whipped wildly as she spun around frantically. She glanced between her and the door several times before hurriedly making her way over.

"Jaune and I went to play baseball with the other boys in the village." She started in a hushed voice, occasionally glancing back at her room. "I thought it was going fine until it was Jaune's turn to bat… he couldn't even properly grip it because of his hands. He insisted anyways but I think the shock from the ball hitting the bat was too much."

"Are Jaune's hands okay?" Joan shook her head at the question.

"He won't let me look at them. He dropped the bat when the ball made contact and started crying. The other boys… it was like they didn't even care. They started picking on him and calling him a crybaby." Olivia watched as Joan's own hands clenched tightly and her blue eyes light up in anger.

Olivia quickly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Listen to me, Joan. Whatever it is you're thinking of doing, don't."

"But those guys-"

"Are a bunch of jerks. But getting back at them isn't going to make Jaune feel better, okay? And what do you think those boys are going to say when Jaune's sister has to be the one to stick up for him?" Joan's eyes widened slightly as she realized the implications of her words. Like it or not, retaliating against those brats now would only make things even more difficult for Jaune later.

"I wish those jerks would pick on me instead. That way I could beat them up without worrying about it." Joan twisted her heel angrily on the ground.

Olivia gave a small laugh and began stroking her hair, gently patting at the stray strands and putting them back in place. "You might one day have bullies of your own. And when you do, you'll be able to beat them up to your heart's content. If you even want to."

"Why wouldn't I want to?" Joan tilted her head in confusion.

"Who knows? You'll just have to wait and find out." Olivia dusted off her shoulder before slipping past. "Now go take a bath. You're covered in dirt. I'll talk to Jaune."

"..." Joan gave a small pout, clearly not wanting to leave her brother while he was still upset. Sometimes though, it was their closeness that kept them from being able to help one another. With great reluctance she began to step backwards and away from her room.

Olivia gave a couple small taps on the door. "Jaune… can you open up for me? Please." She didn't even understand why any of their doors had locks on them.

"If I don't, are you going to pick the lock?" Jaune asked between loud sniffs, clearly trying to fight back his tears.

"I've already got my pin handy." Oliva fiddled with the small hairpin she kept beneath her band. To her relief, she heard Jaune shuffle for the door and it unlock a moment later. It didn't swing open so she pushed it inwards herself, just as Jaune made it back to his bed.

The wraps that usually covered his hands were haphazardly scattered across the floor and she had to fight every urge to begin wrapping them up and placing them away neatly. Instead, she managed to contain herself as she walked over to where Jaune sat, pulling up the desk chair so she could sit opposite him.

"You feeling okay?" She of course knew the answer to that question. Jaune was anything but okay. Not only were the injuries on his hands aggravated, but his pride had been wounded also. Perhaps he knew her question was rhetorical, because he didn't give her an answer.

He had already pulled out a special jar of lotion made specifically for the scars on his hands, but the lid remained unopened, and she doubted it was because he didn't want to open it. Both hands were trembling badly, the skin around his scars red and pulsing, inflamed from the shock of something so simple as hitting a baseball.

"Here, let me get that for you." Olivia picked up the jar and twisted off the cap. Just before she could stick her fingers into the ointment though, Jaune finally spoke up.

"Aren't you going to complain about how gross or unsanitary that is?"

Olivia gave a small grin. "Ordinarily I might, but my little brother needs my help, so I'll let it slide." And without hesitation stuck her hand into the cool, viscous lotion. She beckoned Jaune to bring one of his hands closer to her.

"...You're not going to ask about what happened?" He gingerly held his hand out towards her.

"Nope." He gave a sharp flinch as she pressed a glob of the cool lotion against the back of his hand and began to smear it around, making sure to spread it evenly and gently, so not to agitate his scars further. Almost immediately after that flinch though and he relaxed as the lotion undoubtedly dulled the pain.

For several moments neither of them said anything as she worked. Instead of pressing him for any kind of information though, she just waited quietly, patiently, the whole time soothingly stroking his hands as she applied the ointment that already seemed to be working.

"...I'm never really sure what you think of my hands." Jaune suddenly blurted out, causing her to quirk an eyebrow curiously. "Like… I hate showing them to people. Dad always used to say people would think they're cool, but that's not the reaction I get at all. Most people can't even look at them. I figured with just how you are… you wouldn't like looking at them either."

What those kids said today must have really got under his skin, if he was going so far as to say all this to her. Olivia gave a small hum as she switched hands. "I suppose I understand why you would think that… I can be a bit insufferable with my tendencies. I like things clean, and organized. I hate clutter and dirt." It wasn't wrong to say she let those things dominate her personality most of the time. "Your hands… are a part of who you are, Jaune. And I like who you are. Even when you come home covered in filth."

"..." Jaune didn't say anything to that, but she could see the smallest ghost of a smile now. She finished rubbing the ointment and he flexed his fingers, the shaking for the most part having subsided.

"Take it easy with your hands for awhile now, okay?" He nodded several times as she sealed the jar and placed it once more on the counter. As she got up and turned to leave, she felt a small tug at the edge of her dress.

"Thank you…" Jaune mumbled, practically inaudible.

She couldn't help but smile as she bent over and placed a small kiss on the top of his forehead. "Anytime, little brother."


	22. Friends

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Friends_

* * *

Pyrrha hummed a small tune to herself as she walked down the hallway of Beacon's hospital ward.

The tune came from a very faded memory, something her mother had used to sing to her when tucking her in for bed. She wasn't sure why she recalled it now of all times. She supposed it was because recently she had been thinking of family.

She considered everyone on JNPR to be her family now. Joan, Ren, and Nora were all so important to her. The bond she shared with them, she liked to think was unbreakable. It was true, that she thought of Joan as her closest, and best friend. However, that didn't diminish the feelings of camaraderie she had with the other two as well.

Right now especially, she wanted to see Nora's smiling face. Hear one of her goofy stories again. Anything at all other than her resting form. Pyrrha had thought temporarily losing Joan to that sword was the worst possible feeling in the world. Only to discover, that she still had more to lose than she ever realized. She wanted her whole team back together again. That meant she didn't just want to free Joan again, but wanted to see Nora make a full recovery.

She paused just outside Nora's private recovery room and finished humming at the next verse before pushing the door open. She only stepped halfway into the room before stopping hard.

Nora's condition hadn't changed much. Her burnt skin was almost completely healed now and most of the bandages around her face had been pulled off, and her chest gently rose and fell in a comfortable rhythm. Her hair had been buzzed short, in order to make the spots that had been burned to the scalp not stand out quite so awkwardly, but it was still noticeable. None of this was why she stopped though.

"Hey Pyrrha." Jaune Arc sat just next to Nora on a chair he pulled up, holding an icepack up to his chin.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha got over her surprise and quickly crossed the distance between them in order to get a better look at the wound he was covering up. "What happened to you?" His lip was cracked and he had a small bruise on the upper part of the chin. Someone had to have hit him, and quite hard to break through his thick Aura.

"This is nothing." Jaune waved it off and gave a small chuckle. "Just a small casualty on the road to friendship… or something like that." He quirked an eyebrow and appeared to mull over his own words before shrugging. "Sure, let's go with what I just said."

Pyrrha opened and closed her mouth. Then before she even realized it, a small giggle escaped her lips. "That… sounds exactly like something Joan would say."

Jaune nodded several times and closed his eyes as he smiled. "We are twins, after all. We've always been pretty in sync with one another."

"I admit… I kind of forgot that you two were similar." Pyrrha pulled up a chair next to his before sitting in it. "You were so different when you first arrived."

"Yeah." Jaune drawled and ran a hand through his hair, averting his eyes away from the champion. "I wasn't exactly in the best of places at the time. Still not, I suppose."

"It's understandable." Pyrrha rested a hand on his knee and he gave a small start, turning to look into her eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't more supportive at the beginning. I should have seen how much you were hurting too, but I was just so caught up in my own guilt."

He shrugged her apology off. "Don't worry about it. Believe me when I say that I understand what it feels like to let your guilt consume you." She supposed he probably knew better than even she did. Unlike her, he had actually been there the night this all started. And he hadn't been capable of stopping it. That wasn't his fault, she knew that and she had a feeling he knew that. Even knowing wasn't enough to stop that guilt though.

"I'm glad we're able to understand each other now." Pyrrha's grip on his knee tightened a little. "I want Joan to see that we've become friends when we bring her back."

"..." Jaune stared at her silently, and she saw the quiet confliction appear in his eyes.

"...Jaune?" Why was he looking at her like that? Was it possible he hadn't completely forgiven her yet? She couldn't blame him if that was true, but it still hurt to realize that might be the case.

"Are we?" She tilted her head in confusion, not understanding what he was asking. "Are we friends now?" He clarified a moment later.

"O-of course." Pyrrha at least wanted to be friends. "Do you… not want to be?"

He quickly shook his head at that. "That's not what I'm saying. It's just that, well… it's stupid." He paused and finally averted his eyes and began to stare once more at Nora. She silently waited for him to continue, hoping that he would. "I just… I've been thinking a lot lately. About what it is that makes a friend."

"I mean, calling someone family is easy. Me and my sisters are all related by blood. We grew up together, there's no denying the bond we have. Even when we were mad at each other, even if we didn't want to be anymore, we will always be siblings. Friendship is different than that. It feels more... frail."

"My friendship with Joan isn't frail." Those words tumbled out before she even finished thinking them. They weren't wrong though. There was nothing remotely frail about her feelings towards her team.

"Sorry, that's not what I was saying." Jaune paused and quietly mulled over his next words. "I'm here to save my sisters." He finally started back up.

"Yes…" Pyrrha knew that much, if it wasn't obvious.

"And you're all with me right now because you want to help with that." Again, that was obvious. "So where does that leave me after we save them all?" Her eyes widened as she finally understood what he was getting at. "My bond with you all… this feeling of friendship I'm starting to feel towards you, towards Yatsuhashi, and Yang. It's possible this is only going to last as long as my sisters need saving. Once that connection is gone, none of you have any more need to hang out with me."

Silence filled the room as Pyrrha mulled over his words. She kind of wished she was more of an outgoing person now, so that way maybe she would know what to say to cheer him up. It wasn't like she was exactly a pro at making friends either. Still, she had to say something.

"...What you're saying might be true." She started slowly as she finally found the words. "We're only together right now because we need to be. But it isn't necessity that makes a friendship. People are friends with one another because they want to be."

"Back in my hometown, many people wanted to be my friend. Well, not necessarily my friend. Who they wanted to be friends with was the Mistral Regional Champion. However, that wasn't what I wanted. So I made the choice to move. And because of that choice, I met Joan, who saw me for me. Because of that little thing, I wanted to be her friend. And then because of that, I met many other people who I wanted to become friends with."

"So maybe it is true that the only reason we became friends is because we both know Joan. But is that so wrong? I don't think making friendships is really all that different from being born into a family. There's only so many people you meet throughout life, it's impossible to meet everyone in the world. So the people we become friends with really is only because circumstance brought us together. That goes for everyone, not just you and me."

"It's what we choose to make from that bond that's important. At least… that's what I feel like I've come to believe." She wasn't even entirely sure of what she was saying. Did what she say even make sense?

"Huh." Jaune drummed his fingers against the ice pack and she could tell he was thinking deeply about the words she just said. "When you put it that way, it kind of makes me feel like an idiot."

Pyrrha gave a small snort. "Why's that?"

"These past two and a half weeks have been the worst of my life. The only sister I had left was Rouge, and I didn't exactly have any friends, although if I did they probably would've been killed back at Domremy anyways. The only people my age I've really been able to rely on this whole time has been RWBY." It took her a second to realize he meant the whole team, and not just their leader.

"I guess it's just because I was so low… but the things those girls have been doing to help me really left an impact. I care about them all now… they're my friends. So much so I passed up a chance to break Olivia's sword just to protect Yang, on instinct. When I thought Blake died… it hurt. It was almost like I was losing a sister all over again."

"I think that's great… that you became so close to them." Not so much the part where Blake almost died.

"I wasn't so sure about that myself." Jaune lowered the ice pack and fiddled with his cracked lip. "I had friends now… but like we just talked about, I figured that once this was all over I was going to lose them, anyways. That freaked me out. So for the past couple days… I've been putting some distance between us."

"I only stopped to visit Blake once. I haven't really talked to Ruby or Weiss at all. Yang… I may or may not be ditching our daily training match right now because she's the one I'm most uncomfortable around." Oh boy. Knowing Yang, she wasn't happy about that. If there was one thing she did not take lightly, aside from her hair and Ruby, it was being ignored.

"Why… are you so unsure about Yang?" If anything, Pyrrha felt like Yang should be the one Jaune was most comfortable around. Wasn't she the one he hung out with the most? It was her that was with him for most of that fight against his sisters the other night.

For a moment, it looked like he didn't want to tell her. "...I'm not sure I really understand what she's after."

"Excuse me?" Why would he think Yang was after something?

"Okay, so like, you want to help my sisters because you're so close to Joan. Weiss and Blake feel like they owe my sisters a debt of gratitude. Ruby is friends with Rouge. I can pretty much understand why all of you want to help me, but I don't really get what Yang gets out of all this."

"That's ridiculous." Pyrrha gave a small laugh. "Her sister and team are putting their lives on the line to help you, why wouldn't she do the same?"

"I get her wanting to help. It's not that part that is confusing me. But why is she specifically focused on helping _me_? If she was really only doing this because she wanted to make sure her sister was safe, wouldn't she just be sticking close to Ruby, instead of going out of her way to spar with me, and try so hard to get me to break out of my shell?"

"Hmm…" Pyrrha was starting to see the angle Jaune was looking at this from now. She didn't really know Yang all that well if she was being honest. They were friends, but more because their teams were than any personal connection. What she did know was that Yang was incredibly outgoing, flirty, generally optimistic, and very caring. "...Maybe you just kind of triggered all her big sister senses?" He made a face that suggested he wasn't so sure with her guess, probably because she didn't say it very confidently herself. She just didn't know Yang well enough to say for sure what it was though. "...I mean, you could always ask her. Like you said, she's your friend."

Jaune gave a breathless laugh. "Yang _is_ my friend. She's helped me more than anyone else. I guess I'm just afraid of what kind of answer I'll get."

She gave him the most reassuring smile she possibly could. "You'll never know until you try. Just tell her what you just told me. I'm sure you're just overthinking it."

To that he could only nod. "I do have a tendency to overthink." He then paused and seemed to weigh his options for a couple seconds before giving a resigned shrug. "Well, the longer I put it off, the more angry she'll be. And I've already been punched by one girl today. Thanks, Pyrrha."

She gave a big smile. "I'm glad you and I could have this talk, Jaune." Truthfully, she had been hoping to have a conversation with him like this since the evening they got back. She had just never really been able to find the right timing. It was a relief, to know that not only was Jaune still willing to try and be her friend, but that he would even confide in her.

She just really hoped now that her advice worked for him.

* * *

Deep breaths. Take deep breaths.

Autumn repeated his thought again and again inside her head as she tried to will herself to relax. Her eyes were shut tight as she tried to focus and find any traces of Aura. Any trace of a small flicker of light that signified the soul of all the people around her would be a welcome sight. Something to show she was making some kind of progress in accessing her Semblance.

As all the times since waking up after Luteus Oblido was destroyed, she got nothing. She didn't understand. What was she doing wrong? It had never been hard for her to use her Semblance before. Yet now it was impossible.

The door to RWBY's otherwise empty room burst open, startling Autumn out of her train of thought. Eyes shot wide open and she nearly jumped up from the floor to her feet. Instead she managed to remain cross-legged on the floor, neck craned up to see a frustrated Yang who had stormed into the room.

"Where the Hell is your brother?" Her normally lilac eyes had turned blood red, although Autumn wouldn't have even needed that to detect her obvious anger and hostility. Not that she cared.

"I'm not his keeper." She replied with no small amount of snark. To her satisfaction she saw Yang's knuckles grip just a little bit more tightly as she stalked over.

"Listen here you, I'm not in the mood for whatever problem it is you seem to have with me. If you don't know where your brother is, just say so." She loomed precariously over the younger girl who didn't shrink back in the slightest.

"I don't know where my big brother is, and even if I did, you can bet I wouldn't be telling you." She didn't even bother listing the problems she had with this girl that seemed awfully insistent and hanging off her brother's shoulder. At least he finally seemed to be getting wise and avoiding her.

"I'm trying really hard right now not to deck you." At this, Autumn could only smirk confidently.

"Go for it." She would love to watch her try and explain that one to her brother.

"Don't egg her on, Autumn." The voice of the very person they were talking about came from the doorway and Yang spun around to glare at him.

"You better have a damn good reason for having ditched me without any kind of word. And why the Hell don't you have a Scroll? You know, those handy little devices people use to get in touch with one another." The second question was almost definitely rhetorical. Jaune's was probably back at Domremy, more than likely destroyed. The swords had also apparently been smart enough to destroy their own, so they couldn't be tracked that way.

Jaune awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and cast his gaze to the ceiling. "Would you believe me if I said I was in the middle of having a moral epiphany?" A what now? Autumn quirked an eyebrow at his vague choice of wording.

"No." Yang didn't even miss a beat though. "And what happened to your face?" It was only then that Autumn noticed her brother's busted lip.

"Ah." Jaune fiddled with the crack. "Believe it or not, you're not the first girl I've pissed off today."

"Now that I can believe." Yang's arms crossed in front of her chest, but Autumn also noticed the tenseness out of her shoulders leave and eye color return back to their normal hue.

Jaune looked surprised for a second before shaking his head. "Don't misunderstand. I didn't blow you off because of this or anything. I was just plain ditching."

"Do you want me to be mad?" Yang's eye twitched.

"No, no." He quickly waved his hands frantically in front of himself. "I was just trying to be honest… not that I'm sure why. Maybe it would have been better if I left well enough alone?" He paused and seemed to contemplate his answer while resting a finger beneath his chin.

"Did you always used to be this way?" Yang suddenly asked, causing both siblings to look at her strangely. "I knew you were socially awkward, but this is just so much different than how you were even a couple days ago. Before… it was like pulling teeth to get you to talk. Now you just kind of vomit out everything you're thinking."

Jaune flinched at her words and looked down at the floor. "Is this… worse?"

"No. I'm just having a hard time trying to figure you out. Doesn't help that you've seemed eager to put distance between yourself and my team." The edge had returned to Yang's voice.

Autumn couldn't stand by anymore as she hopped up to her feet and ran to Jaune's side, looping an arm through his. "He doesn't have to answer anything to you. So why don't you just leave him alone, if you realized he doesn't want to talk to you?"

"Autumn." Jaune said sternly, while lightly chopping her on the head. "Play nice." She puffed out her cheeks while glaring at Yang who all too fiercely returned the animosity. "I know this is hard to accept, but Yang is my friend."

"What?" She looked up at him in disbelief. He was going to call this pushy girl his friend? Or was he just saying that to be nice? He had never needed friends before. His whole life he got by just fine hanging out with them, not counting that one brief stint where he got a girlfriend.

"Oh. So we're actually friends now, are we?" Yang drawled sarcastically, causing Jaune to grimace. "That's funny. I'm pretty sure that's the first time you've ever referred to me as such."

"I did stop a building from collapsing on you. I figured that was pretty solid proof." Wait, what happened now? This was the first Autumn had heard of this.

"That's actually... not a bad point." Yang appeared to consider her next words for only half-a-second, before giving a sigh. "I admit, I'm a little miffed because it feels like this whole time I've been getting to know you, and it turns out that isn't even really you."

"Haha, that wasn't my intent." Jaune gave an awkward laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. "If it makes you feel better, I don't actually feel like I've really gotten to understand you all that well either. This whole time you've been trying to help me, and I just haven't been able to fathom why."

Autumn did not like the turn this conversation was starting to take.

Yang grinned brightly. "Great! So we're even."

"Yeah…" Jaune agreed, not looking so sure himself. "...is that great? I feel kind of like we've taken a step backwards here." They could stay that step backwards as far as Autumn was concerned.

"Nah. You gotta look at the bright side of things." Yang waved his concern away with a small roll of the shoulders. "Now I get to know the guy that doesn't have all the emotional-depth of a rock, and you get to continue hanging out with the hottest girl in Beacon, without having your face punched in for ignoring her."

"Well anything sounds good if you put it that way." Jaune gave a small chuckle to which Yang returned. Autumn still did not understand what was happening. The tone of this conversation had shifted way too fast for her to keep up. "I feel like this is going a little too well. You're not secretly still mad or some other confusing girl-gimmick I'm not familiar with, are you?" At least he seemed a little confused too.

"I might have been still mad if you hadn't come looking for me to apologize. Since you actually made an effort, I'll give you a couple bonus points and let is slide this time. Blow me off again though..." She cracked her knuckles.

"Yes ma'am." He said with an audible gulp

"So how about it? We got some catching up to do, it sounds like. I don't got classes tomorrow and _someone_ -" She glanced at Autumn for a second as she said that. "blew up Bumblebee the other night so now I gotta go parts shopping. Wanna come?"

Jaune shrugged. "Unless I suddenly find a way to locate the rest of my sisters, I got no other plans." Autumn really wished her Semblance was working right now. "And I feel partially responsible for your bike."

"Sweet. It's a date." Wait, what? "Hopefully none of your sisters attack us on this one."

"My sisters crashing my dates unfortunately is more the norm than not. And was what we did last time a date?" Autumn opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of a way to interrupt their now flowing conversation.

"Two teenagers heading to a club and getting a couple of drinks? I'd say that qualifies as a date." Yang placed a hand on her hip and smiled coyly.

"Huh. I guess so." Jaune returned her smile with a small one of his own. "It's a date then."

"I like this new you more already. Or should I call this the old you?" Yang shrugged. "Don't matter. Let's go meet up with the others now. Being angry makes a girl hungry." She strolled past them, patting Jaune on the shoulder as she did.

"Glad we could work this out without getting my face beat in again. Come on, Autumn." Jaune pulled his younger sister with him as they followed after her. Autumn had already stopped listening though, and just allowed herself to be dragged right along. She still wasn't entirely sure what had just happened. But somehow, it seemed like her Semblance not working had just gotten Jaune a second date.

Even if it was only a platonic one, she didn't like this one bit.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Master Attlon asked in a review about the sisters and their heights. Truthfully, I had never really considered how tall they all were before. So me and Jefardi put our heads together really quick and came up with some numbers for those who are interested, and then I wrote an omake with the siblings comparing their heights. Props once again to Master Attlon for that idea.

So for the record, here are Jaune and his sibling heights in feet, going from tallest to shortest.

Jaune - 6'1  
Amethyst - 5'9  
Violet - 5'8  
Ciel - 5'7  
Joan - 5'6  
Autumn - 5'5  
Olivia - 5'4  
Rouge - 5'2

* * *

 **Omake 18**

 _Height Comparison_

* * *

Jaune was really happy right now.

For the first time, in what felt like forever, all of his sisters were home again. Not only were they home, but they had returned this time as possibly some of the most important people in the whole world.

It wasn't just your average group of girls that toppled an evil-terrorist organization and revealed a diabolic plot to send the kingdoms crashing down, after all. That honor right now was reserved specifically for his sisters. Of course, he always knew they were awesome. It just so happened the rest of the world was finally catching up.

"Hey bro!" Joan came bustling into the dojo where he was doing his warm-ups. He grinned at his twin as she hurriedly jogged up to him. That grin vanished a moment later as she grabbed him by the wrist and began pulling him back to the main house.

"What's going on?" He tilted his head curiously as they made their way through the halls.

"We're measuring heights! It's been forever since we've done it. We can't start until you get there though." She gave him a backwards smile as they finally arrived into the living room where all his sisters were gathered, most of them lounging on the furniture.

"Good. We're all here." Violet gave a soft smile as she walked up to Jaune and rested a hand on his shoulder. That smile vanished a moment later as he looked down at her.

Jaune shifted uncomfortably at her gaze. "...Is something wrong?"

"You're taller than me." Violet suddenly blurted, causing even Amethyst to perk up in interest.

"Uhh… yeah?" He had been for like a year now. Had it seriously been that long since they last did this height measuring thing? And how did they go this whole time without realizing?

"Geez, Jaune! You're huge!" Ciel had suddenly pressed up behind him, her back to his. "I ain't even close!"

"Am I suddenly the new measuring pole for the rest of you?" He gave a small laugh as Ciel held a hand flat to the top of her head and rose it up to level with his.

"Not a bad idea." He had been joking, but that kind of stuff did always fly over Violet's head. As Ciel stepped out of the way she took her place against his back "Well I'm not too much shorter. At least I'm closer to you than Ciel is."

"Tch, still can't win." Ciel grumbled as she placed both hands in her pockets.

"My turn then." Amethyst leaned back against him next, perhaps a little too much so. Was she even using her own legs to stand? It kind of felt like she was relying completely on him.

"..." Violet didn't say anything, and he heard Joan give a small snort of amusement.

"I think you just got deranked to third tallest, Vi."

"Wait… seriously?" Ciel was suddenly right back, glancing feverishly between Violet and Amethyst, the former of which was trying to put as much distance as possible. "Get back here, Vi!"

"No." Violet crossed her arms defiantly and turned her head up. "I no longer like this idea."

"...Are you seriously pouting?" Amethyst gave a cheeky grin as she stepped away from Jaune. "I beat you by an inch at best, get over it." He hadn't seen Amethyst this happy about something… now that he thought about it, he had never seen her this happy.

"Just someone else go already. Olivia. It's your turn!" Violet suddenly pointed at their green-haired sister who gave a small "eep" at being called out.

"I-I think I'm going to sit this one out." She snuggled a little more deeply into her arm-chair.

"Joan. Autumn. Pull her up here already." Both moved without even blinking at Violet's command.

"No! I don't wanna!" Olivia flailed to no avail as her two younger sisters managed to get an arm wrapped around her elbow and yanked her out of the chair.

"Sorry Olivia." Jaune didn't really feel that sorry as he turned so they could place her back against his. As she of course feared, she was the shortest of her siblings to stand against him so far. In fact, he was a full head over her.

"My turn now!" And before Olivia even had a chance to mope, Joan pushed her aside and pressed against him. "Man… I was hoping to be closer than this. Still shorter than Ciel." She clicked her teeth.

As she stepped away, Autumn wordlessly leaned back against him next. "I think… you're taller than Olvia now."

"Why!?" Olivia yelped so loudly she made both of them jump, before scrambling once more up to them. "I'm shorter than both Joan and you now?" She crumpled up into a ball at their feet and the two of them could only pat the back of her head in pity.

"...Sorry?" They both asked in unison. Their synchronization made Jaune smile for a second until Autumn snorted and scooted a step away. She was more like him than she wanted to admit, so he would let it go this time.

"It is just me left." Rouge smiled brightly as she took her spot, snuggling into his back. She was still the shortest of them all, but that didn't seem to bother her much. She had some time left to grow yet after all. Olivia not so much…

"Please, Rouge. Stay that way forever." Olivia wrapped their youngest sister in a gentle hug.

"She'll outgrow you by next year." Ciel gave a loud laugh, flopping back down on the chair. "Probably have a bigger bust too."

Joan smiled devilishly as the conversation quickly derailed into an area Jaune wanted no part of. "She's already bigger than Autumn in that regard."

"Hey!"

"Should we get the tape measure out?" Violet already began to look through the cabinet drawers.

Amethyst shrugged uncaringly. "Let's just ask Jaune to judge."

And that was his cue to leave.

"Nope." He was already running before that word left his mouth.

"Jaune!"

"Get back here!"

To his absolute horror, several of them gave chase. Why was he happy that they were home again? He would admit, at least it wasn't boring anymore. Terrifying if he got caught, but certainly not boring.


	23. Date

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Date_

* * *

"Having to walk everywhere is so lame." Yang moaned loudly as her and Jaune navigated the streets of Vale on their feet.

"This is much more preferable to that death-trap you had me strapped to the last time we made this trip." Jaune quipped back without missing a beat. Already she kind of missed the guy that didn't have something sarcastic to say. She hadn't even known he had a sense of humor until yesterday.

"Please. You enjoyed being pressed so close to me and you know it." She elbowed him lightly in the arm and he gave a small snort.

"It's a wonder I didn't throw up the moment I was secured to you." Actually, he pretty much did as she recalled.

"You better not be implying what I think you are." She glared at him dangerously and he gave a roll of the eyes.

"Oh no. Not at all." He didn't even try to sound convincing as he said that.

"...You really are completely different from when we first met." She had said this yesterday too, but would still be damned if she could understand why. It was just such a dramatic shift in character. In fact, the day before his shift he had seemed to be in a worse place than ever. Then all the sudden he was like a normal person. Yet even though he was no longer moping around, he began avoiding her and the rest of her team. Yang had been willing to let it slide for a day or two but once he even blew off their routine sparring she had had enough.

Just as she was ready to blow up at him though and he comes and apologizes. Normally that wouldn't be enough for her, but she was interested in knowing what was going on in his head. Better to do that over a casual chat, rather than biting his head off. She could always get mad later if she didn't like his answer. Also, she really needed to fix Bumblebee. So this was killing two birds with one stone.

"I figured a lot of stuff out." Jaune responded back cryptically as he began to aimlessly scan the sky. She stared at him hard but he refused to meet her eyes. Instead he just kept right on walking, and she was starting to think she was going to have to press harder. "I slowed down and finally took in some things that I had been ignoring."

Been ignoring? He wasn't ignoring anything as far as she could tell, except for them. In fact, he had been pretty much single-mindedly driven to the one and only thing that really should have mattered to him: Getting back his sisters. Yang would have been much the same if it was Ruby they were after.

"I miss my parents." And then those words hit her like a cold towel to the face. "I don't think I really realized how much until after we saved Autumn. It was because I almost lost some of you girls too that it finally hit me."

"What do you mean?" She couldn't really see the connection he was making.

"It scared the crap out of me when I thought we lost Blake." Now that she could understand. Her partner and best friend had almost been killed. Just like that, she was almost gone. She hadn't been that horrified since the night her Uncle saved Ruby and her all those years ago. "The only thing I could see when looking at her when she wasn't breathing… was the corpse of my own mom."

"It felt like it was happening all over again. My sisters had gone crazy and were killing the people I cared about." She noticed his hand grip a little tighter. "Which I guess is the other thing I realized."

"Oh?"

"I care about you all." Well that was blunt. "It's of course different than what I feel for my parents, but the thought of losing you still hurts." He paused briefly and gave her a sideways smile. "So if I seem different, it's because I'm trying my hardest to get back on my feet. My parents are gone… but you're all still here with me. So even if I have to force it, I want you to see the person my parents raised."

Yang nodded slowly and just kind of let his words sink in. That was quite a bit more than she had been expecting to hear. Now she for sure couldn't get mad at him after he went and said all that. There was one thing that was bugging her still. "You figured all this out on your own?"

He looked surprised for a second before quickly shaking his head. "No, of course not. I would probably still be stuck in the same old rut if not for Pyrrha and Yatsuhashi. They helped me out a lot."

"Why didn't you come to us about this? If you care as much as you say you do?" That was perhaps the thing about all this that irritated her. Pyrrha had been nothing but antagonistic towards him before the other day. Yatsuhashi and him hadn't so much as spoken a single word to one another.

At this he shrugged. "I guess because at the time I felt like I could understand them? So I felt like I was able to confide in them."

"And you don't feel like you can do the same with me?" Part of what it meant being friends was that you could talk to one another. She would have said that part aloud too, but he seemed to have already figured that out. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't be having this talk right now.

"It's not because we're not friends that I couldn't talk to you." He tapped the side of his head with a single finger. "You dodged this point yesterday too, so I'll say it again. I really don't understand you, Yang."

What was that supposed to mean?

"You're dynamite." Dynamite? Who used that anymore for a compliment? That sounded like something her dad would've said at their age. "You're also outgoing. Popular. Got a wicked sense of humor. You get the point?" Yeah, she did, but he could keep going if he really wanted. "In what world does someone like you go out of their way to help a guy like me?"

Her eyes widened as he asked that question. "Are you saying you doubt my motivation?"

"I don't exactly have much to go off of. I've seen enough of those school dramas on tv. When the popular girl takes interest in the quiet, weird guy, it's usually not with the best of intentions." He was basing his whole judgement off fictional televised drama!?

"What do you want me to say?" She threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "I'm helping you out so I can get you to do all my homework? No offense, but you don't look like you're going to be acing any of my physics papers anytime soon."

His nose wrinkled before he gave a small sigh. "You don't have to tell me if you really don't want to." Her lips pressed into a thin line. "That's honestly fine with me. Because I've already accepted that you sincerely want to help me save my sisters."

Silence passed between them and she realized that the streets were beginning to get much less crowded as they neared their first destination. The problem with that was, it only made the silence stand out just that much more.

"...Thank you, by the way." She gave a small start as he unexpectedly spoke up again. "I just realized, but I don't think I've said that to you all again. I did when you first agreed to help, but I never thought you would have done this much for me." He turned and gave the most appreciative smile she had ever seen him make. "Pyrrha and Yatsuhashi may have been the ones to help me stand back up. But it was because of you, Yang, that I was able to make it that far."

For once, she was at a loss for words.

"Even when I was so messed up I couldn't even properly look you in the eye, let alone talk to you, you never gave up trying to push me along. When you found out about my scars, you kept them a secret, and even fought against me without holding back or taking them into consideration. And it was your idea that brought me to reuniting with my sisters. So really… thank you."

It wasn't like she had done all this to be thanked. In fact, all this sincerity was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. "Careful there Lady Killer, or I'll start thinking you fell for me or something."

He gave a small chuckle. "Don't worry. I know my place."

He must have realized how uncomfortable his words had made her, because with that he let the conversation end and they began to walk the last block in silence.

Great, now she kind of felt like a jerk. He hadn't meant anything by his words. She knew that. He was just expressing himself the best he could, which was infinitely better than he was able to a week ago. It wasn't just that though. He was opening up to her completely.

In a rare reversal of character though, she was holding back. It wasn't like she was trying to keep it a big secret, why she was so invested in helping him. Yet for some reason she felt hesitant in telling him about it.

They turned the final corner to their destination and Jaune stopped hard in his tracks. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. This was pretty much ground zero. Where everything had gone crazy the other night.

The rubble that had once been Junior's club was only the beginning. The streets, other buildings, nothing had been spared his sisters' wrath. As far as their eyes could see there was only destruction. The only difference was, now they had the opportunity to take it in. Before it had been dark, and they had been in a panic. Now the sun was shining brightly, illuminating ever crack in the road, every slash in the side of the buildings, and every piece of glass that had rained down during the chaos.

"This wasn't your fault." Those words escaped her mouth before she even finished thinking them. Just knowing him, he was blaming himself for all of this.

"...I know that." He said before giving an audible gulp. "Let's just… get what you need and get out of here." He set a brisk pace for the area where they had parked the other night and it took her a couple seconds to kick off after him.

She couldn't blame him for wanting to get out quick. This place wasn't going to bring up anything but bad memories. It wasn't like she wanted to spend much time here either. She had gotten her ass kicked pretty badly by Ciel. Definitely not one of her proudest moments.

Speaking of moments she wasn't proud of… she could now see the shattered remains of her precious Bumblebee. "Oh man…" She bent over and picked up the nearest piece she could, which appeared to be what was once part of the bike's exhaust.

"Are you going to be able to make use of any of this?" Jaune found one of the tires and lifted it upright. The rubber was burned straight through and the spokes were warped so it was garbage. In fact, the whole thing was pretty totally trashed. The frame was shattered into pieces so there was no salvaging any of that.

"Not looking good." She gave the engine a small tap with the toe of her shoe. No good either. Well this was depressing. She had been hoping it was maybe a little better than this. Her eyes wandered over the wreckage before finally landing on something. "Hello." She bent down and pulled out the mostly undamaged speedometer. The wiring was ripped up, but the face plate and gears inside it looked to be fine. "Well, it's not much. But this will do."

"...That's it?" Jaune looked surprised as he poked another part of the busted console she had pulled the speedometer from. "I thought you were going to try and salvage more than that?"

"Nah, it's all pretty much garbage now." She waved it off while patting the small piece she had proudly.

"...You seemed like you really liked this bike. You're not sad that it's in pieces?" He continued to dig through the broken parts as if trying to find something more.

"Of course I'm upset." It honestly made her a little sick just to look at it. "But it's just a bike. I can always build a new one. Compared to what else we lost and almost lost that night, this is nothing. I just wanted at least something from this one. That way it'll be kind of like the spirit of it lives on inside the next one. You know?"

"I guess so?" He really didn't look like he got it at all.

The sound of something clattering interrupted their conversation and they both whirled around, Yang instinctively switching Ember Celica into active mode. There was seriously no way his sisters had stuck around, had they? If so, the two of them had just walked into a trap.

Fortunately for them, the person they spun to see looked just as shocked to see them as they him. "...Junior?" Yang gave a small laugh of relief at the stupid look on that grizzled face of his.

"You survived?" Jaune took a few hesitant steps closer to the much taller man, who was still rooted completely in place from the moment he saw them, a loaded cardboard box at his feet. That at least explained what had fallen, he must have dropped it.

At Jaune's words, Junior's face finally began to shift as his shock vanished only to be replaced with anger. "...Don't you "you survived" me!" He took several threatening steps towards them. "I'm ruined thanks to you damn blondes!"

"Us?" Yang pointed at herself innocently. This guy had some nerve blaming them for something they had no control over.

"Yes, you! And that blonde sister of yours too!" He shot an accusatory finger towards Jaune. "I stood up for your ass! And this is how I get repaid? I'm out of business!"

"Well, I mean. When was the last time you checked your finances?" Yang placed a hand on her hip and smiled cockily. If this guy was going to play that way, she would just have to go along with it. "Your place kind of already looked like it was on the way down. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise?"

"All my men are dead!" His face was getting increasingly more red as he held both hands in the air and made strange strangling gestures.

"What's the life expectancy of mooks like that anyway? Can't be very high." Those guys must have known what line of work they were getting into.

"Yang… I think he's mad." No shit Sherlock. She gave Jaune a glance that said just that. "What I mean to say is you're not making it any better." Why would she want to make it any better? Sure, Junior did have their back in that battle. And it sucked that he lost his business. But she lost stuff too. They all did. It wasn't like it was their fault those swords had a vendetta against Jaune.

Junior's teeth grit together so loud that Yang could even hear it from here. "I'm going to bury you brats…"

"Now I think that would just be counterproductive. If you kill us, then what the heck did your club blow up for?" Yang couldn't help but give a cheeky grin even as Jaune audibly facepalmed.

"Melanie! Militia!" Junior bellowed at the top of his lungs and she watched as the red and white themed girls came running from deeper within the rubble. "Get them!" Junior flailed a finger dramatically in their direction.

Yang cracked her knuckles. "Bring it on!"

"Nope." Before she could take a step though, she felt Jaune's arm loop through hers before he began to drag her off in the direction they came.

"Get back here!" Junior called as Melanie and Militia gave chase. Not that they had a chance in Hell of catching Jaune, as fast as he was.

"You heard the man, Jaune. Come on! We can take 'em." After getting her ass kicked the other night she could use a decent cool-down fight.

"You're not helping." Jaune glanced back fearfully before cupping his free hand over his mouth. "I'll pay you back one day! I promise!"

He sincerely looked like he meant those words too.

* * *

Jaune gave an exhausted sigh as he plopped down at the table of the fast food chain he and Yang had just entered.

By some miracle they had managed to lose those demonic twins, no thanks to Yang and her constant remarks. He knew she wasn't a sympathetic person by nature, but he still felt a little bad for the three of them. Even worse for all those that had died in the club. Sure, they weren't exactly the most upstanding of people, and it's not like they thought twice about firing at his sisters with lethal ammunition, but even then.

Not that he actually had any idea how he was supposed to pay them back. He was so broke, Yang had to even buy his food for this whole outing. He couldn't pay anyone back. There was so much destruction and devastation… and his sisters were responsible for all of it. Well, the swords were. Not that the public was looking at it that way.

It was no wonder the council was as mad as they were. Maybe… he should have tried to be nicer to them too? The position they were in couldn't be easy. But the fact that they wouldn't even try to understand what was happening was just so frustrating.

"So, Lady Killer," Yang announced her presence as she dropped a tray of food in front of him. "Are all our dates going to turn out this way?" By that did she mean were they always going to turn into a mad dash for their lives? Probably.

He was a little surprised to hear her refer to it as a date again. He assumed she had just done that to get under Autumn's skin, which had worked wonderfully. "Only if I let you continue to pick the locations. I'm choosing where we go on the next one." Keeping up with her banter was kind of exhausting too. Not that it was particularly hard to come up with his remarks. Really, he just pretended he was talking to Ciel and that actually made his responses come pretty naturally. It was just the fact that Yang wasn't Ciel, combined with the truth that he wasn't actually completely back to normal that made it difficult.

No matter how hard he tried to act like everything was alright now, the depression kept creeping back up in the corner of his mind. It was taking a very conscious effort to not revert back to how he had been acting when first arriving at Beacon. He meant it when he told Yang that he was trying to do this for his parents. They were gone now, and nothing would change that. If he let that change who he was as a person though, he would never be able to face them proudly in the afterlife.

"You sound awfully confident about the odds of me giving you a third shot." Yang took a loud sip of her cola.

"My dad did always tell me to have confidence. Girls dig a guy with confidence." Although it seems his sisters always used that line as an excuse to shoot guys down more than he did to actually impress someone.

"Well, he wasn't wrong." Yang gave a small hum and began to unwrap the rather massive burger she had purchased for herself. He took a look at his own tray and realized she bought him the exact thing she had gotten herself. Large cola, fries, and a burger that he normally would have trouble finishing by itself. Although, sprinting for your life did tend to work up an appetite.

"I thought you would be concerned about all the calories or something." Not that he really figured she needed to or anything.

"Nah." Yang shrugged as she took a healthy chomp on her burger. "Girl's gotta eat." And then continued to talk with a full mouth. "Besides, you said it yourself. I'm dynamite."

Damn it. She would bring that back up. He wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Who called girls that anymore? He blamed his dad. If that wasn't bad enough, he had gone full on sap when expressing his gratitude. Now he just kind of wanted to forget the whole conversation.

"...There is such a world where girls like me help guys like you, and not just because we want you to do our homework." Of course, she seemed determined to keep bringing it back up. Not that he was sure where she was going with this anymore.

He quirked an eyebrow curiously while munching on his own burger. Unlike her, he wasn't going to talk with his mouth full. Mom would've had his ass for something like that. "It's unusual for me to avoid talking about this so strongly. I think it might be because your situation feels like it hits a little close to home? So it just makes it feel more… raw. You know what I mean?" He shook his head.

"What I'm trying to say is, I know exactly what it feels like to want to find your family." Those words were so unexpected he almost choked on his food. "My biological mother… she's out there somewhere. When Ruby and I were growing up, I didn't know this, but it was really her mom that was raising the two of us. Until one day she went on a mission and never came back."

"Shortly after that I found out the truth. My real mother was alive. I don't know what reasons she had to not be there for me or my sister, and frankly speaking at the time I didn't care. I just wanted her to come home again. Not for me, but for Ruby. She really needed a mother. I thought maybe if mine came back it could help heal the hole in Ruby's heart."

"Of course, so much time has passed now, and while Ruby hasn't entirely moved on, she no longer needs someone to play mommy for her either. Still, I want to know why she left us. It tears me up inside, just wondering what possible reason she could have to not be there for her own daughter. If being a mother feels anything like what it means to be a big sister, then I can't ever picture myself wanting to abandon my child. I would never turn my back on Ruby."

"Summer… she was my mother. She will always be my mother, even if she wasn't the one that gave birth to me. If nothing else, I just want her to know that." Yang gave a small smile, one that almost looked spiteful. "What I'm trying to get at, is I know what it feels like to lose your family. Both to death and otherwise."

"So I'm going to help you get your sisters back. All of them."

…

Well. He certainly had not expected that. To think that Yang, who he thought was so far removed from him in whatever reasoning she had to help, might actually be the one who understood him most.

"...I'm not entirely sure what it is I should say in this situation." He admitted after careful consideration.

Yang gave a small snort of amusement. "You don't gotta say anything. You told me you accepted that I wanted to help. I just kind of realized that it wasn't right if you didn't know why. So I decided to suck it up and tell you. That's all there is to it."

That was fair enough. "Well, I was surprised, I'll admit that." Again his words appeared to amuse her. "When this is all over, would you mind if I helped you try to find her?" Now it was her turn to look surprised. "I know this is personal for you, and you probably don't want others butting in. If I thought it was feasible, I wouldn't want to involve anyone else in the search for my sisters. But if you'll let me, I'm willing to at least try and return the favor."

Yang drummed her fingers against the table and mulled his words over before giving a slow nod. "Alright. Yeah. I'll let you help." He gave a small smile of relief, just glad to have a way to maybe help her in the same way she was helping him. "Don't think I don't know this isn't just an excuse for you to keep hanging out with a dynamite chick like me."

And just like that the smile on his face faltered as she gave a teasing grin of her own. He had to recover quickly. Just pretend it was Ciel that said that and he would have a comeback lickity split. As he thought of his older sister though, a small memory of Amethyst came to his mind instead.

 _Like, she doesn't have to be confident or strong. It's not bad if she is, but I'm fine with a normal girl too. So long as she loves her family I think the two of us could get along._

He barely remembered the context of that conversation anymore, it had been so long ago. Whatever it had been pertaining to though, it embarrassed him enough that instead of giving some kind of clever response he only managed to flap his gums like an idiot.

Yang's grin got even bigger and she pumped a fist in the air victorious. "So you _can_ still make that expression! Good to know you're not completely different." She had been trying to get him to falter like this the whole time!? "Now that I've completed that goal, we can move onto the next one."

"Which is…?" He was almost afraid to find out.

"There's a mall a block down. Let's go get you some more fashionable clothes. It's embarrassing walking around with a guy that dresses like such a muscle-head." He looked down at himself… and couldn't completely disagree with what she said. He could use some new clothes. He was cycling between pretty much the same three pair of shirts and shorts since moving to Beacon.

"You know I don't have any money to pay you back with, right?" Unfortunately he seemed to keep coming back to the fact that he was broke.

"That's alright. You'll get me back when you become a millionaire." And how exactly did she figure he was going to do that? "You're going to have to be to buy Junior a new club." Oh yeah, he had gone and said something like that, hadn't he? Oops.

"So come on. I'll even help you pick out an outfit for Rouge so she has something new too." She was already getting up and taking her tray to the trash.

"Not for Autumn though?" She would most certainly not appreciate being forgotten.

"Maybe if she adjusts her attitude towards me." Yang grinned back cheekily and he could only shake his head.

Her money. He wasn't going to tell her how to spend it. Although he might put in a request for a new leather jacket. He missed his old one.

"Thanks again, Yang." He probably wouldn't be able to say that word enough. Although that probably wasn't necessary anymore either. She wasn't doing this for his gratitude. and he was glad he could understand that now.

If for that reason alone, he would say this date had been a good idea.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

Back by popular demand is the return of the girl Jaune went on his first date with. In fact, the next few will all focus on her and fleshing out Jaune's past relationship. Seemed appropriate to start that in the chapter where Jaune had a "date" with Yang.

* * *

 **Omake 19**

 _Jaune's girlfriend_

* * *

 _Knock Knock Knock_

Autumn slowly to a stop and turned to the front door curiously.

That was unusual. They normally didn't receive many visitors. None of her siblings exactly had any friends, at least not ones that would just be dropping by. Ruling that out, it could only really be someone trying to sell something.

Whatever it was, she doubted mom or dad wanted any part of it so she would just shoo them away quick and be done with it. She would just lie and tell them her parents weren't home and that would be that. Not like they could sell anything to a fifteen year old girl.

With this in mind she marched up to the door and swung it open, already inhaling a breath to turn them away… only to stop hard when instead she came face to face with a girl about her age. Maybe a year older?

Autumn's green eyes widened the smallest amounts as all the gears in her brain ground to a halt, trying to process this new information. One thing was for sure, she wasn't trying to sell anything. Not dressed like that. She had on a purple sweatshirt with the hood pulled over her head, covering almost all of her mint-colored hair except what little was parted to the right of her face. Two black rectangles under her eyes, elbow and knee pads, along with some weird kind of skateboard tucked under her arm, this girl wasn't anything like what Autumn expected to see when she opened the door.

"Can… I help you?" Autumn quirked an eyebrow and her voice went up an octave as she tried to discern the nature of this girl's visit.

"Maybe? I'm actually not sure if I got the right house." The girl was glancing curiously into their home and Autumn almost instinctively stood a little taller and slightly tilted the door in order to block her view. "Does Jaune Arc live here?"

Autumn's widened eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Who's asking?" She asked with perhaps a little more bite than she meant to. Who was she kidding? She meant every ounce of it.

"Ah. I'm Reese Chloris. Nice to meet you." She stuck out the hand that wasn't holding her hoverboard but Autumn made no move to shake it. "I was pretty surprised. You must be Autumn though. Jaune mentioned that most of you don't look alike but even so. Do you mind if I come in-"

"You didn't answer my question."

Reese quirked an eye curiously and shifted uneasily as she appeared to think back to her words just a moment ago. "I'm Reese-"

"Who are you to my brother?" Autumn didn't give a crap about her name. She wanted to know why she was here.

At this Reese gave an awkward smile and her cheeks colored with the slightest red as she swung her hips from side to side. "Well, I mean- we've only hung out twice now, but I guess you could call me his girlfriend."

"Uh huh." Several moments of absolute silence passed between them. "Goodbye." And then she slammed the door in the girl's face before locking it with an audible click.

"Autumn?" She turned to see her mother curiously peeking around the corner. "Who was at the door?"

She smiled innocently and gave one of her twintails a flick. "No one. No one at all."

* * *

"So explain this to me again." Joan stared at her brother in disbelief as he fiddled with the cuff of the "lucky" leather jacket he was wearing. "Violet chased you around for the entirety of the rest of your date, with the possible intention of maiming your date... and she agreed to a second one?"

"Violet wouldn't have known at all if you hadn't gone blabbing to the others." How many times did she have to say she was sorry already? Like she was supposed to be able to predict all that.

 _Tap Tap_

Jaune and Joan both perked their heads up as they heard some strange noise coming from their bedroom window. That surely wasn't possible though. They were on the second floor.

With the curtains pulled shut they couldn't see outside at all. Cautiously she began to move towards it, keeping track of Crocea Mors which was propped against her bed as she did.

She reached forward slowly and grabbed the edge of the blinds, before whipping them open in with one fluid flick. "Ahhhh!" She screamed as the face of a person was unexpectedly there.

Said person only grinned back and held a hand up casually in greeting. "Sup, Joan?" It was only when this girl spoke her name that it clicked inside Joan's head who she was.

"Reese… what are you doing here?" She had no idea Reese even knew where she lived. That's because they weren't exactly friends. More like classmates that happened to sit next to one another in Professor Qrow's class.

She slid the window open and Reese spun around, plopping herself onto the sill with almost practiced ease. "Here for him, actually." She hiked a thumb over to Jaune who was standing there, looking absolutely stupefied by her sudden and unusual appearance.

"Wait… your Jaune's girlfriend?" Joan pointed back between the two of them, still trying to comprehend this.

"You're not going to shove me out the window for saying yes, are you?"

Joan's nose wrinkled in confusion. "Why would I do that?"

"Met your younger sister, Autumn, at the front door. She's as much a fan of me as Violet, apparently." At least now it made sense why she was knocking at their window.

"How did you know this was our room?" Jaune finally recovered and that was the first thing he asked? Joan kind of wanted to hit him. Why was this girl still around again?

"Oh, Amethyst told me. I accidently knocked on her window first." This girl was so lucky Violet wasn't home right now. She would've been killed. Didn't she know to be more cautious after the last time Jaune and her went on a date? "She seems pretty cool, by the way. Really like her style and music choice is awesome." Reese gave a thumbs-up in approval.

"At least one of my sisters isn't out to sabotage me." Jaune grumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Reese pulled open the hood a little further to expose her ear.

"You ready to go?" Jaune amended quickly as he slipped onto the window sill next to her and prepared to slide over it to leave. "I came up with some pretty cool ideas for new tricks you can practice with your hoverboard."

"You're the best." Reese placed a quick kiss on his cheek before hopping off and landing on the board that had been hovering just in front of them. Which explained how she got up here in the first place. "The park then?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later, sis." He gave a small wave as he hopped off and fell a story down, Aura cushioning the blow. "Please try not to tell the whole family!" He called back up as Reese hovered down next to him.

"It was one time!" The two of them were already walking away. Well, Jaune was walking, chatting animatedly while gesturing with his hands. Reese was just hovering along next to him, smiling brightly the whole way.

Seriously, he had better hang onto this girl. No one else was going to be able to put up with their family as well as she had.


	24. Aura Seeking

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Aura Seeking_

* * *

"This is bullcrap." Autumn groused and Rouge couldn't help but chuckle at her older sister, who was glaring jealously at her new clothes as they wandered around Beacon's empty halls. "Why did she buy you stuff? What makes you so special?"

"Yang has always been very nice to me." Rouge fiddled with the string of her new pink hoodie happily. She absolutely loved it. She didn't know getting new clothes again could make you feel so happy. "It's because you're so rude to her that she didn't buy you anything."

"I don't trust her." Autumn crossed her arms and gave a small humph. "Don't you think it's weird? Why's she being so nice to Jaune? What are her intentions towards him?"

Rouge rolled her eyes. "Why does she have to be after something to be nice to big brother? Are you really afraid that she's trying to court him?"

"No one says 'court' anymore, Rouge. Seriously, you get your old-fashioned language from dad and bro." Autumn flicked one of Rouge's pigtails playfully for a moment before looking deathly serious again. "And I am worried about that. Aren't you concerned about some bimbo trying to date Jaune? He's completely naive and she'll take advantage of him."

"That's not very nice to say about either of them." Rouge gave a look as cross as she could manage and Autumn averted her green eyes. "I think it would be great if they started going out. If brother and Yang got married, Ruby would be our sister!"

"No one said anything about marriage!" Autumn yelled suddenly, twin tails flailing as she whirled back around and face now beet red. Rouge somehow managed not to chuckle, but she couldn't hide the teasing smile and the moment Autumn got sight of it, her scowling face turned to a pout. "...You said that on purpose."

"Are you saying you don't want Ruby as a sister?" Rouge really would love to be able to call Ruby family one day.

"Your friend, Ruby, isn't the one I have a problem with, and you know that." Autumn grumbled under her breath. Her words barely audible over the clicking of heels against the tiled floors that now echoed throughout the whole hallway.

They both appeared to notice the new noise at the same time and looked in front of them just in time to see Glynda Goodwitch slow to a stop, placing one hand on her hip and fixing them with a serious gaze. Instinctively, the two of them straightened under her watch.

"Rouge and Autumn Arc." She greeted in that ever-scolding tone she always seemed to have. "I do not believe we've had the pleasure of talking before." This would actually be the first time that Rouge had talked with any of the faculty aside from Ozpin. It was always their brother that sought them out whenever there was something they needed. "Are the two of you finding your stay to be enjoyable?"

It was hard to tell if she was being genuine with her words or not. Perhaps if she tried saying it in a way that didn't sound quite so demanding? Rouge barely managed to nod at the question. She hadn't expected to run into anyone while classes were going on.

"It's not bad. We're a little cramped in RWBY's room though." Autumn was more vocal, quick to offer complaint. Rouge kind of wanted to clamp a hand over her mouth and whisper something about gift-horses in her ear.

If Goodwitch was upset by her directness though, she didn't show it. "I have made the offer to get you a separate room for yourselves and your brother several times. He insists though that it is more healthy for you to spend time in the company of others your age. An opinion I do not disagree with."

Autumn clicked her teeth in annoyance but didn't say anything more, so the older woman continued on. "I hope the others have been treating you well. If there has been any misconduct on their part, let me know immediately. The two of you are guests here." At this, Rouge averted her eyes, afraid is she didn't she might give something away.

Truthfully, aside from the teams that had offered their help, no one here at Beacon was very kind to them. No one had yet to be outright antagonistic towards them, but she noticed the jeers and scowls sent her way, and heard the whispers behind her back.

It hurt. To know that so many people resented them. The only comfort she was able to draw was from how strongly her brother seemed to be holding up. If he could press on without letting those things weigh him down, then she tried not to either.

"I should be a student. Not a guest." Autumn once more resorted to mumbling under her breath, although with no other noise in the hallway they had no trouble hearing her.

Glynda nodded several times. "If you wished to continue on your path as a huntress, we would be more than happy to allow you to attend classes and would provide supplementary lessons to make sure you do not remain behind. I understand Miss Rose is constructing you a new weapon so once you have that, we would even be able to find you a suitable team. There are already several in your year in need of a new member." That meant there were several people that had already dropped out… or were killed. A horrible reality on the path they had once walked.

Rouge knew those words hadn't been directed at her. But she couldn't help but wonder, did she still want to become a Huntress now?

Before, she was only on that path so she could be like the rest of her big sisters. Now though, she didn't even know what they wanted to do. What if they all quit? Would she follow suit just because that was their choice? A small part of her felt pathetic for even thinking that. It was almost like no choice she had ever made was of her own independent thought. It was all influenced by the people she admired the most.

After what the sword had made her do though, she didn't think she would be able to continue anymore, even if that was what the rest of them decided. Yes, Ruby was building her that weapon. But it was so she could help save her sisters. Once that was done, she wasn't sure she would ever want to use it again, especially if it meant having to point it at other people.

"It's not a decision I have to make right now, is it?" If Autumn's words were any indication, she was just as conflicted as her.

"Of course not." Goodwitch gave her head a small shake. "You don't even have to decide this year. If you wanted, we could wait until the next school year starts and you could take Initiation with that group of students. I understand that would be awkward, being a year older than them. But it may be for the best, all things considered."

Rouge was starting to understand why it was often Goodwitch that Jaune sought out whenever he needed something. She may be strict, made only more intimidating by her appearance, but she was being very kind right now. She didn't mince words, but in a way that made it much easier to understand her good intentions.

"I don't even know if I'll be able to. Not if my Semblance doesn't ever work again." Autumn stared at the palm of her hand dejectedly and Goodwitch's brow furrowed.

"You're having Semblance problems? You're an Aura seeker if I remember correctly." As Autumn gave a quick nod, Glynda hummed in thought. "I think I may have the solution to your problem. Follow me." Without even waiting for a response, she began walking away.

Autumn and Rouge shared a quick look before hurrying after the older woman.

If she really had a way to help Autumn's Semblance, then they really had a shot at finding their sisters.

* * *

"...And what exactly are we doing here?" Autumn paced slowly around the small, unique, circular garden Glynda had brought them too.

She didn't even know such a place like this in Beacon existed. Located between all the crossing hallways, practically cut off from everything, was this unusual myriad of flowers colored all manners of reds, blues, and varying shades of greens. If there was a distinct pattern to them, Autumn couldn't see one.

A glass ceiling hung overhead, and the sunlight that filtered through practically made the whole garden looked like it glowed. Starting around the outside of the circular plot of land and spiralling inwards was a path wide enough for only one person. And located at the very center was a mossy rock.

"Beacon is in a unique location." If this was Glynda's way of answering her question, she didn't understand how. "The land here provides us many natural protections. Not all of them immediately obvious. One of those such defenses, is protection against scrying." Autumn stopped as it finally began to make sense. "Aura seekers cannot see anyone within Beacon's borders. This also means they cannot see out when inside either. With but one spot as an exception."

"Here." Autumn whispered breathlessly as she started on the circular path that led to the rock.

"Here." Glynda affirmed her word. "I apologize for not coming to you with this information sooner, however your brother and the others were exhausted, both mentally and physically, after their last battle. I thought it best to allow you all a moment to catch your breaths."

Autumn may have been angry, but something about this garden was soothing, strangely so. She felt an indescribable calmness permeate her entire being. As she reached the end of the path, one hand unconsciously reached out and gently massaged the moss, feeling its texture beneath her fingers.

She closed her eyes and gave a deep inhale, allowing the sweet smell of the flowers to fill her nostrils. With her eyes closed, only darkness surrounded her. Out of the darkness though, two small glowing spheres appeared on the edge of her vision.

No… calling them spheres wasn't quite right. At first they may have appeared to be, but in actually they were shapeless, constantly fluctuating. One of them was red in color, the other yellow. What she was looking at… it was the souls of Glynda Goodwitch and Rouge Arc. She could perceive their Aura.

Her Semblance was working.

A small smile crossed her face and confidence filled her being. She could do this. She could find their sisters.

Vale was huge. Finding five people was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The difference between everyone else and her sisters though, was she had a bond with them. She knew their souls inside and out. Finding them would be easy.

The radius of her Semblance expanded, and the entire city of Vale became visible to her senses. Thousands of tiny lights flickered into existence, visible only to her. With all these little souls, she could sense small things. It wasn't very much, just their general mood, or prevailing emotion.

Never before had she used her Semblance though did she sense so much… grief. It was like that emotion in particular was resonating with her, and the people feeling it stood out more strongly than they ever had before. In one part of the city in particular, this feeling was especially strong.

Without even meaning to, her Semblance focused in on these people. And something flashed across her mindscape, an image so distinct it caused her to gasp aloud and physically recoil.

Bullheads spiralled out of control, flames covering their exterior hull. Bolts of orange lightning pierced people through the stomach, ripping straight through them and splattering their blood all over the ground, tearing the life from their eyes.

"No…" Autumn's breathing became erratic. Hands felt clammy and a horrible shivering wracked her body. "No, no, no!" She couldn't open her eyes, no matter how badly she wanted to. The images were flooding in faster and faster. Of the countless murdered. All those whose lives she had taken with her own abilities.

It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault. She tried to repeat over and over again the words her big brother imparted. How was this not possibly her fault? She could feel the absolute joy Luteus Oblido took in claiming those lives. It felt so real, as if it was her own. As if _she_ had enjoyed it personally.

Her knees buckled and slammed against the bricks beneath her with an audible smack. The pain was insignificant in comparison to that she had caused so many others. She had no right to be saved. She had no right to try and help others. Her sins were unforgivable…

"Autumn." A gentle voice rose above everything else. The screams of all the dying lessened as warm arms wrapped around her body and pulled her head into the softness of Rouge's chest. "Just listen to my heart, Autumn." Her calm heartbeat felt like it was washing everything away with each rhythmic beat it took. Almost like just the sound of someone else living was easing the pain of so much death.

"...Rouge." She couldn't believe that raspy, weak voice came from her own mouth. It was so pathetic. She was supposed to be the big sister, yet she was the one being comforted.

"I know it's strange. I know it hurts. I experience exactly what you're going through almost every night I close my eyes." Rouge whispered quietly, mouth placed atop Autumn's head, the movement of her lips tickling her scalp. "Whenever I feel that fear… that overwhelming guilt… big brother will hold me just like this. And I will just listen to his heartbeat. Something about it… just knowing he's okay. That he's going to save our sisters. It makes it feel like maybe one day I can move on."

Autumn gave a shaky breath, focusing in more intently than before on the sound of Rouge's heart. Allowing herself to see only her kind, crimson soul. The soul of someone that beared the weight of the same sin.

"Thank you… Rouge."

* * *

"Excited to finally be able to get out?" If anything, Yang looked far more excited for the imminent release of her partner from the infirmary then Blake did. At least, Jaune thought so just watching the two of them.

If he didn't know any better, he would say Blake had actually been rather enjoying all the down time she had been getting and seemed perfectly content to remain curled up in her bed and just read a book while she recovered. Maybe it was that cat part of her?

"It will feel good to walk around on my own two feet again." Blake did relent to this much as she gingerly pressed down on the floor with both feet before wiggling her toes, as if testing her own balance. Even if she was finally being let out, she still had a little more to go before she made a full recovery. Even so, it was reassuring to see her walk again at all after that scare she had given them.

Slowly but surely, everyone seemed to be making a steady recovery from that night. Almost all of them had been discharged now with the exception of Russell and Nora. However, even though they weren't all still in the infirmary, he wasn't sure they would be ready to face his sisters again if they popped up in the next couple days.

"The two of you didn't have to see me out, by the way." Blake continued as she looked between her partner and him.

"What? And miss out on a valid opportunity to skip class? I don't think so." Yang patted Blake's back rather roughly and she nearly fell forward. Jaune was ready to leap to her aide but she managed to catch herself. "Oops, sorry." If she was upset with her partner, she didn't show it and merely rolled her eyes, probably long since used to her antics.

"What I was actually saying was I didn't expect the two of you to come see me together." Blake reiterated her earlier statement.

Yang and Jaune shared a confused look for just a moment before turning back to her questioningly. "What you trying to imply there, partner?"

Blake gave a small huff and he could've sworn he saw her chest puff out with pride, like she was secretly pleased that she knew something they didn't. "There seemed to be some amount of discomfort between you two the last time we were all in the same room together."

Jaune rubbed his head awkwardly, and gave a sheepish grin. "Ah, so you noticed that?" He wondered how obvious he made it? Blake was pretty observant, but did everyone realize he had been avoiding them? He didn't doubt it.

Yang didn't look troubled at all by Blake's observation and merely waved a hand dismissively. "Eh, no worries. Me and Lady Killer already kissed and made up."

K-Kissed!? Jaune's own brain mentally stuttered over that as his eyes were automatically drawn to Yang's lips. Her pink, tempting… nope, nope. Putting a stop to that whole train of thought right there. He was not going to think about kissing Yang on any level even if he kind of wanted… Damn it. What was wrong with him? As if he didn't already have an idea.

"You're turning pretty red there, Jaune." Blake fixed him with a wry smile and he became acutely aware of how warm his face was starting to feel.

He had to make a quick recovery here. Yang was for better or worse getting the hang of tripping him up again. Whether this was because she was already familiar with his regular personality, the change had been on his end, or maybe a combination of both, he wasn't sure. But he did know it was only going to get worse if he didn't make an adjustment.

"Big brother!" Fortunately for him, it sounded like his sisters were coming to the rescue. Although they also sounded to be in a bit of a panic. He whirled around to the entrance of the infirmary just as they burst through the door, quickly stumbling up to him as fast as their legs would take them.

"Rouge. Autumn. What's wrong?" He ran to meet them halfway and both sisters practically crashed into him, hanging off his shirt.

"I- I did it…" Autumn spoke between gasps for breath.

Jaune tilted his head in confusion as he wrapped an arm around both of them, trying his best to calm them but at the same time understand what was going on. "Slow down for just a second. Did what?"

"I found our sisters."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 20**

 _Rouge and Reese_

* * *

Rouge couldn't help but giggle happily as she clung to Jaune's sleeved arm while they navigated the unusually bustling streets of their home village. The two of them were en route to their local theater, a trip they hadn't made together in a long time. That by itself would normally be enough to get her feeling giddy, but this time it was especially exciting.

"You must really be looking forward to this movie." Jaune grinned, eyes not really looking at her and scanning the crowds.

She nodded and buried her cheek a little more deeply into the leather of his sleeve, taking comfort from the warmth it gave in contrast to the chilly winter air. "I have been waiting to see this since they showed the first trailer. I'm most grateful that you're taking me with you to see it."

He gave a small chuckle. "It's not like I would ever turn down a chance to see a movie with you."

"Even so-" Rouge began, adjusting her gaze to look where he was. "I thought maybe you would feel I'm getting in the way of your date."

"Nah, Reese is pretty cool and doesn't mind." He gave a small shrug. "She's the one who even suggested I invite you and Autumn, since it's an animated movie." Of course, Autumn had quickly turned down the offer to go. She was for some reason under the impression that animated movies were only for kids, something Rouge could not begin to understand. That combined with the fact that Autumn wanted nothing to do with Jaune's new girlfriend, who Rouge had yet to meet.

She had tried to get details from all of her older sisters, with the exception of Olivia and Ciel who also hadn't met her yet. Naturally, Autumn just pretended like the whole meeting had never happened. Violet… well, Rouge was just going to try and forget about the time she asked. Surprisingly, even Joan had been tight-lipped, almost like she was afraid talking about her was going to set off some kind of unfathomable chain of events that she couldn't hope to control. Amy had been the most forth-coming, but that wasn't actually saying much. "She's pretty cool." That was all she said. Thanks, that helped a lot.

So Rouge really had no idea what kind of person she was about to meet, but she couldn't imagine her being anything short of spectacular. After all, she had caught her big brother's eye and that had to mean she was special.

"Speaking of, there she is." Jaune pulled one hand out of his pocket and held it high in the air. "Just in time too."

Rouge's eyes quickly darted around the crowd, before zeroing in on the girl that was now hovering right their way. "Hey Jaune." The mint-haired girl called before skipping off her board, flipping it into the air and catching it with one hand, all in one fluid motion. She walked the next couple steps to him before leaning forward.

Without missing a beat, Jaune met her halfway and they shared a brief kiss. "Just got here, myself." She said as they separated. "Didn't have a chance to get our tickets, although I didn't think any of your sisters would actually show." Reese gave Rouge a once-over and the redhead leaned a little more deeply into Jaune's arm.

"Rouge has really been looking forward to this film. And don't worry about the tickets. I'll get them. Want any candy or cola? Rouge and I normally split a popcorn." He quickly waved off her concern as they made their way to the theatre entrance.

"Just get a large pop for us to split, and I might dig into your popcorn if you don't mind." Reese looked to Rouge as she said that last bit. She shook her head in response, but mouth remained clamped firmly shut, still unsure of what to say. "She always this talkative?"

"Around new people, usually." And Jaune just responded as if she wasn't there at all. "I'll go get the tickets then. You two stay here." Reluctantly, Rouge finally let go of his arm as he separated from the two of them. She fidgeted nervously as she was suddenly left alone with this girl.

"Not a fan of me either, I take it then?" Reese said that with a small amount of humor, but her smile somehow looked slightly sad to Rouge.

"P-Please do not take offense." Rouge barely managed to sputter out. She hadn't meant to lock up completely upon meeting this girl. She just seemed so much... different than like what she was expecting. Not in a bad way, of course. She guessed it was just because she hadn't known what to expect at all. "...I'm just really afraid of saying something to embarrass Big Brother." As if admitting that wasn't embarrassing enough.

Reese's face momentarily lapsed into surprise, before her grin returned, this time appearing much brighter. "Hey, no worries. Your brother is a pretty awesome guy. No way would I think he's lame because of something his sister may have said."

Rouge nodded enthusiastically. "Big Brother is great!" She was really happy to know that this girl could see it too. "Hey, when did you and him meet? What made you decide to go out? Did he ask or did you?" Before she could contain herself, these questions fired out from her mouth in quick succession and the moment she finished the last one she felt her face begin to heat up.

Reese merely laughed and ruffled Rouge's red hair. "No need to get so embarrassed. It's alright. I'm rather relieved you're willing to talk to me like this."

"You are?" Rouge found that hard to believe, seeing as how lame she must have been coming across.

"For real. I was starting to think none of Jaune's sisters were going to like me." Reese placed both hands behind her head as her eyes wandered to the ceiling. "Let's see… Jaune and I met at the local arcade. He was ripping it up at the DDR machine and I stopped to watch him. The moment he realized some girl was watching though and he totally blew it. Man, that was hilarious."

Rouge stared with wide eyes as the older girl laughed at the memory. "Don't know why, but I introduced myself. He responded back in the most uncool way I'd ever heard. 'Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it. Or at least my mom says they will.' I mean, who ends an introduction like that? He looked ready to run after that, until I asked if he was related to a Joan Arc. That was all it took to for us to start having a casual chat."

Reese gave a small hum. "Just like that, we hit it off. We played around until the arcade closed and as we were leaving he asked me out." She paused and seemed to contemplate her next words. "It all sounds kind of normal when I say it aloud. But something about it was special. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have said yes. Sorry if it wasn't as romantic a start as you were hoping though."

Once again, Rouge was quick to shake her head. "I think it's wonderful! He's very happy to have met you."

"I'm glad to have met him too." Just as she said this, and Jaune strolled up to them, balancing the large popcorn and two pops precariously within his arms.

"We're good to go." He stated with an oblvious grin. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing at all." Reese stepped up to him and snaked an arm through his. Rouge did the same with his other arm. "You're going to make all the other guys jealous, having two cute girls hanging off your arms like this." At her words, Jaune gave a mirthful chuckle.

"Well, I am a pretty lucky guy."


	25. War Council

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi (Who started another story which I beta for, Wrath. If you wanna read about Pyrrha get pissed and wreck shit, that story is for you.)

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _War Council_

* * *

"Can we just get this started already?" Yang interrupted the tense silence that had settled over RWBY's room as they waited for the last group to arrive. Cardin and his teammates were the only ones needed so they could begin planning their next move.

Jaune wasn't entirely surprised by her impatience. Cardin didn't exactly seem like the most strategic mind in their group, and whatever they decided they could just fill him in on later. It wasn't like he was the only missing face either. Coco and Nora were also noticeably absent, although the first one they could only assume was by personal choice.

"Just be patient." Those words came surprisingly from him of all people. If anything, he probably should've been the most high-strung in the group. Contrary to her though, he appeared tied for most relaxed of the group, simply sitting cross-legged on the floor looking over a map of Vale and its expansions they had placed out on the floor.

Yatsuhashi sat closest to him, sitting in a manner practically identical but with his eyes closed in mediation. Jaune couldn't explain it, but the man's presence next to him was comforting. Meanwhile, the rest of them were scattered through-out their little room, some of them like Ruby pacing nervously, others like Pyrrha unconsciously finicking with the tip of Milo.

Ren and Weiss were at least attempting to look calm but it was superficial at best, as they both kept glancing towards the open door. Velvet's rabbit ears twitched occasionally and every time he was hopeful that it was because she heard someone finally coming. Blake sat quietly on her bed next to Yang, nose in a book, but it was pretty much obvious to anyone that actually looked at her that she wasn't really reading it. Rouge and Autumn sat on the opposite end of the map from him, going over it together.

Finally, he could hear the small thumping of footfalls as someone rather large sprinted full-force down the otherwise quiet hallway. Cardin whirled around the doorway just a couple seconds later only to immediately be assaulted by several loud yells. "You're late!" Yang, Weiss, and Autumn all shouted in sync.

Instead of looking even the least bit apologetic, Cardin merely scowled. "Oobleck wouldn't let me leave. Thought I was just trying to get outta class early." He could only assume that this probably wasn't the first time Cardin had tried some lame-sounding excuse to get out of class early. Although now that he thought about it, Yang was probably about equally as guilty in that regard.

"Dove and Lark?" Velvet inquired in a merely curious voice and his scowl disappeared on the spot as he gave a quick shake of the head.

"I… told them to sit this one out." He didn't elaborate further, but Jaune could only guess why. They had been injured pretty badly turning the last skirmish. Speaking of… Jaune unconsciously shot Blake a brief glance, which didn't go unnoticed by her partner. Neither of them commented on his look, but they both knew it was something that was going to have to be brought up before they finished this meeting.

"That means everyone is here that is going to be, right?" Jaune asked as he glanced at Yatsuhashi, his point clear.

"Coco will not be joining us." The samurai stated bluntly. "Please forgive her, she is just not feeling up to it yet." He directed those words more at everyone else in the room. Jaune and him had discussed earlier about Coco's still rather fragile mental state. It sucked, as he could really use her strength, but he couldn't blame her either.

Velvet cleared her throat. "I regret to say, but I will not be joining you all either, in case you do go out. My stomach injury-" Autumn noticeably flinched. "has yet to fully heal and I don't want to leave Coco right now." He had been afraid that might be the case as well. The only upperclassman they had left was Yatsuhashi.

Not exactly good for moral, although he wasn't convinced chasing his sisters was the best course of action yet either. If he did, he wouldn't be having this meeting and would've just told them to gather at the docks. Of course, that was what he wanted to do, but last time they got caught by his sisters without a plan it hadn't exactly ended well for most of them and got hundreds killed. He wasn't willing to make that same mistake.

"Let's decide on what we're actually going to do first before we start volunteering people to stay behind." Jaune tapped the map in front of him and all eyes drew towards his commanding voice. It was unnerving being the center of attention of this many.

The gentle hand of Yatsuhashi rested on his shoulder and he didn't even have to turn his head to know the samurai had given him an encouraging nod. There was nothing to this but to allow all those years of training do their job. "Autumn-" He continued and his younger sister perked up at her name. "Tell the others what you told me."

She gave a quick nod as she broke away from Rouge and leaned over the map. "It took some time, but I was able to locate Joan, Olivia, and Ciel's Auras."

"What about the eldest two?" Cardin interrupted as he crouched down next to her.

She gave a short glare at the interruption before sighing. "Amy's sword has a spirit that can cancel out my Semblance. So long as Violet is near her, I won't be able to find either of them. Can I go on now?"

Cardin shrugged unrepentantly. "I was just asking, sheesh."

Autumn's green eye twitched as she turned once more back to the map. "The three of them were roughly five clicks outside of the mining town of Kessel." She pointed to the very edge of Vale's borders. Located just beyond it was nothing but wilderness and Grimm. It wasn't wrong to say the town she just indicated was Vale's furthest successful colony.

"Why would they go there?" There was an underlying layer of venom to Blake's voice as she asked that question.

"What's wrong with Kessel?" Ruby tilted her head innocently at the question.

"...It is rather infamous for the way it treated its miners, most of them Faunus." In contrast to Blake's anger, Velvet just sounded disappointed. "The working conditions were horrible, and despite being one of our furthest colonies, the number of Hunters assigned for protection was severely lacking."

"It's also one of the first places my sisters and I liberated from the White Fang's control." Rouge barely said this loud enough for them all to hear.

"The conditions there have improved drastically." Weiss of course had her own piece to add. "The reformed White Fang has made several beneficial agreements towards the protection and treatment of its miners."

"This is all well and great, but like my partner asked, why are they hanging out around there?" Yang tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"...I don't think they're hanging around at all." Jaune tapped the map, right over where Vale City was located. "About how long would it take to get from here to Kessel for a trained Huntress?"

"If we hopped on the next train, we could probably be there by nightfall." Weiss answered his question without even having to think about it.

"Okay. But my sisters can't use the train. Their motion sickness would cause too much of a scene."

Yang snapped her fingers as she finally got it. "So they're not hiding out at Kessel. It's taken them this long to get there."

"Exactly." At least now he knew for sure that their motion sickness had to still be a factor. Which was another thing to consider when fighting them. Already his brain was whirling with scenarios as he considered the strengths of those he would be going into battle with.

"That still doesn't answer the why." Ruby pouted as she wracked her brain for an answer.

"We must consider the possibilities. And eliminate what doesn't add up." Yatsuhashi lifted that hand that had been on Jaune's shoulder. "For starters, what do we know of their goals?"

"They want to kill Jaune, that much they made obvious." In fact, that was the only thing about their goals they knew. If there was something else they were after, it was still unclear.

"It makes sense that they would want to lay low after their latest attempt. But retreating that far away from Beacon just doesn't make sense, especially if they know Jaune is here now." Ren rubbed his chin and talked slowly, considering each and every word before he spoke them. "Unless…"

"They're getting reinforcements?" Pyrrha finished that train of thought for him.

"Violet and Amethyst." Jaune agreed.

"But I thought those two didn't want to kill you?" Ruby asked.

"They would likely be desperate after our last battle." Yatsuhashi was more vocal in a group this large then Jaune had ever heard him. "They lost their seeker whereas we gained one. And attacking Beacon is a much weightier gamble than even their last."

"You think the elder two could be persuaded to help them?" At Blake's question Jaune could only shake his head.

"The truth is, I don't know enough about the personality quirks of the swords. Anything is possible though."

Yang cracked her knuckles loudly and all eyes turned towards her. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go get them before they meet up with the others. Better to attack now and stop them from grouping up if you ask me."

"It's safe to say this may be our best chance to go after them." Pyrrha seemed to agree with Yang's sentiments. "My concern is if the other two are also currently hiding out in this town. We could be walking into a battle with all five of them." That was the thing that made him the most nervous. He could feasibly see them beating Joan, Olivia, and Ciel. It wouldn't be anything short of a miracle, but it was still feasible. If he had to calculate Amethyst and Violet into the equation though, there wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell they walked out of that situation alive.

"We can't sit on the defensive and just wait for them to come to us though." Weiss stomped her foot to accentuate her point. "And we'll lose them if they get to that scythe."

"I think it's a safe bet that Violet and Amethyst aren't actually at Kessel, but rather beyond it." He had to believe that for now. Otherwise they had no basis to stand on that they could win. "They're both quite adept at wilderness survival, not to mention the protection offered by their swords. And it actually makes sense to think that's why no one in all of Vale has been able to locate my two most reputable sisters."

"The other three will probably have to stop there for the night. If for nothing else than to eat and rest." Blake continued speaking in his place. "Meeting them at Kessel may actually be our last and best chance to stop them."

"But we'll also expose all those living there to danger." Jaune shot back quickly. "If we cause the same level of destruction there that we did in Vale… there won't be anything left." That was his biggest fear, creating another Domremy. "...And all of you aren't fully healed yet either."

"If you decide we should go, I don't want Blake coming." Ruby suddenly said, her voice leaving no room for argument.

"Excuse me!?" Not that it didn't mean Blake wasn't going to try.

"You just got discharged… half an hour ago." Ruby gestured in the general direction of the infirmary as her silver eyes locked with Blake's yellow ones.

"She brings up a good point." Weiss stood by her leader, bringing Blake's irritated glare on her. "What? I'm just being pragmatic. You're more likely to hinder us than help."

"Rubes is the leader, partner. Gotta listen to her." And then the biggest blow of all came as Blake shot Yang a look of pure betrayal.

"You too?" She exclaimed in a voice louder than he had ever heard her make.

Yang's own eyes flickered red for a moment as they narrowed. "Maybe you forgot, but you almost _died_ out there last time."

"We've all had close calls before. This isn't different than any other time." Blake jumped to her feet, whirling around to see if she could find anyone that would agree with her.

"But before we always had a chance to recover. You haven't had that yet, Blake." Ruby refused to relent though and Blake finally settled on him.

He gave a guilty sigh and her body tensed as it prepared for the words they both knew he was going to say. "You know I want as many of you to come with me that I can. But your team is right." He didn't elaborate further, as they had already made every point he could.

With a reluctant breath, Blake practically collapsed back down to the bed. Yang made to rest a hand on her head but she inched away from the touch. "It's not like I was the only one that just got out." She may have muttered this under her breath, but they all heard and several eyes turned to Ren.

His own eyes widened slightly as he seemed to realize what was coming. "No… no."

"Ren… think about Nora." Pyrrha started quietly.

"I am thinking about Nora. But I'm also thinking about Joan." Ren whirled on his teammate. "You can't tell me not to go on this. She means just as much to me as she does to you."

"I know that, Ren. I know." Pyrrha held up a hand defensively while the other gripped in a tight fist. "But you're still not fully recovered either. And we still don't know when Nora is going to wake up. Imagine how confused and hurt she'll be once she does and we're both gone, out there fighting to bring Joan back without her."

Ren's lips tightened into a thin line and Jaune could practically hear the gears whirling in his head as he wrestled with Pyrrha's words. Jaune understood how hard this must have been for him. He may have feelings for Joan… but Nora was also his childhood friend. His feelings for neither of them were light, and that just made the choice all the more agonizing.

"...Leave Joan to me." Pyrrha spoke gently, not in a command, but as a request. "You look after Nora. That way when I come back with my partner, your partner can greet her with a smile."

In the same manner Blake just had, Ren gave a reluctant sigh of his own. "Very well. Just please… come back."

"Not to burst anyone's bubble, but Lady Killer hasn't actually said if we're going after them or not." Yang reminded them all, and Jaune was once more brought back to his dilemma.

"Well… it would be rather awkward if I decided we shouldn't after that." He tried to give a small chortle, but it came out forced at best and no one else even attempted to respond to his poor shot at humor.

"So is that a let's go get them or… no?" Yang's voice went up an octave as she tilted her head in confusion. He knew he was sending mixed signals to them, but at this point he really didn't know what the best course of action was.

Their group was smaller than ever. They were down to seven able bodied students. He doubted Glynda could go as far as to Kessel with them, especially considering the actual location of his two eldest remained unknown. There was a chance though, that with the abilities he had available to him, that they could counter his sisters. It wasn't that he didn't have a plan, but the question was would things even really go that smoothly? Not likely, and it was their lives and the lives of that town he was gambling with if it didn't pan out.

"Whatever you think is the best choice, Jaune." Pyrrha's words startled him out of his deep trance and he looked up to her in a mix of shock and disbelief. "I'll follow you no matter your decision." After saying those words, she gave him a smile so sincere that he felt all the indecision slowly began to wash away.

If Pyrrha, who had once doubted him the most, could look at him and say those words, then there was no reason he should have do think they couldn't pull this off. He cast his eyes around the room, and found every single gaze on him, all waiting for his decision. If he said they would go, then they would jump into battle with him. If he chose not to, it was likely they would stay put until he came up with something else.

If they believed in him, then he would just believe in them. "You said if we catch the next train, we could be there tonight?"

He turned to Weiss who nodded without hesitation. "I'm sure of it."

"Alright." He inhaled deeply before puffing his chest out with confidence and holding his head high. "Then let's go save my sisters."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 21**

 _Bored and Confused_

* * *

Ciel was bored.

And she loathed being bored. She had always assumed that upon graduating Beacon and getting her Huntress License that all her time would be spent in constant non-stop excitement. Turns out that wasn't the case at all. Huntresses had surprising quite a bit of down time.

She needed someone to relieve herself of this boredom and soon, or she might really go mad. And if she went mad, the rest of them had better rest assured that she was going to prank the crap out of them. She may be considered a full-fledged adult and productive member of society now, but that didn't mean she always had to act like one.

Who to bother though? Violet wasn't an option. In a rare occurence, her old team had reached out to her for help. Apparently they were in over their heads with something or another. Whatever it was, Violet didn't hesitate to head out immediately.

Amethyst was around, but she was locked into her room, listening to music. Naturally, if Violet wasn't there to yank her off onto missions, she pretty much couldn't be bothered to do anything. Ciel could probably bribe her with some tickets to a band she liked. Heck, they could try and pick up some dates while there. The nice thing about doing that with Amy was there wasn't exactly a possibility of them having to compete for the same person.

Still, that sounded like a lot of effort and she wasn't quite that bored yet. However, she was certainly bored enough to pick on Olivia. That sounded fun and it wouldn't even take much effort. For old time's sake, she could probably recruit Jaune too. He was always reluctant at first, but she knew he had fun.

Well, that was decided. Ciel grinned happily as she skipped out of her room and down the hallway. "Jaune! Lend me a hand!" She threw his door open without a single knock… and stopped hard before she even could even set a single foot past the threshold.

The huge grin remained plastered on her face, although she was pretty sure it had only frozen that way. In fact, her whole brain ground to a halt as she tried and failed to comprehend exactly what she was looking at.

Jaune was in his room. That much made sense. She wouldn't have come over here if she didn't think he had been. Reese though, well… that part she hadn't expected.

Especially considering the rather… compromising position she had just barged in on them in. She couldn't exactly see the girl in the purple hoodies expression right now. What with her hood pulled up and mint-green hair obscuring the angle of her face.

Jaune sat on the edge of his bed, legs dangling over the edges. Meanwhile, Reese sat facing him, legs wrapped around his back as she practically sat forwards on his lap. It didn't take a genius to figure out that her lips had just been locked with his, in what must have been a pretty passionate kiss, if their panting breath wasn't any indication.

There was also his incredibly flushed face, but that was probably from a combination of things at this point, her barging in on them being one of the contributing factors. "Oooooh…" Ciel's face cringed as her huge grin cringed into an apologetic one. "...My bad?"

Jaune's flapping mouth finally seemed to work as it began to sputter out something. "C-Ciel!" Ah, his voice just cracked. In any other situation that may have been funny.

"In my defense, you totally did not lock the door." Of course, not that him locking it would've stopped her from getting in one way or the other, but she was taking little victories right now.

"You're going to blame me!?" In his disbelief he jumped to his feet, and the girl on his lap gave a shriek as she clung to him even more tightly to keep from falling off. Too bad he wasn't prepared for the unexpected shift in weight and the two of them were sent crashing to the floor, him on top.

There were so many jokes she could crack right now, but considering this really did all come back to her, it was probably better if she just let it slide. "Really bro? At least try to keep it in your pants while I'm watching." Okay, so she had to get off at least one.

"Ciel!" He looked torn between getting up to yell at her or making sure his girlfriend was okay.

"...I don't mind if she wants to watch." If Reese was embarrassed, she certainly hid it well. "But if we're going to continue this on the floor, can we switch sides? My back is sore after that drop." Oh damn. Even Ciel felt her face heat up at the totally nonchalant way she just said those words.

"With that… I'll take my leave." Better to just take a tactical retreat for now then make this any more awkward than it already was. So before anything more could be said she slammed the door shut and quickly fled towards the living room.

That was completely unexpected. She knew he and Reese had been dating for over half a year now but had no any idea they progressed anywhere near… _that_. It was almost preposterous, picturing her younger brother getting to that stage in a relationship with anyone. If she hadn't seen it herself, she wouldn't have believed it.

A small part of this was actually depressing. Jaune… he had always been the one Ciel could count on. Whenever she was bored, or needed someone to hang out with, he was usually the most readily available. Now though… for perhaps the first time ever, he had something better to do than hang out with her. She couldn't help but wonder how Joan was coping with this.

"Oh… Ciel?" She slowed to stop as she walked past the living room. Oliva was leaning over the couch, looking back at her. The TV was playing behind her and Ciel caught a quick glimpse of Joan watching it. Whether she was oblivious to what was happening up in her room or not, Ciel wasn't sure, but her money would be on Joan knowing. She always seemed to know with her twin.

"Is everything okay?" Olivia continued with a concerned tone. "I thought I heard a yell up there."

"Ah, it's nothing. I just pulled a prank on Jaune and Reese." That was kind of true? At the very least it was a half-truth.

Olivia's eyes narrowed and Ciel felt her back shiver as her younger sister's Semblance activated. "Don't you dare pick on Jaune while he is with his girlfriend. You'll eventually scare her away. Why such a sweet girl has put up with all the stuff you all put her though for so long I'll never know." Sweet… yeah.

If only Olivia really knew.


	26. Kessel

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Kessel_

* * *

The train gave a small lurch, startling Yang and causing her lidded eyes to snap open, darting around as if expecting some kind of imminent attack. The only thing she found were other tired passengers, several of them her own companions.

Ruby was out like a light, head lulled over and a small string of drool dripping onto her shoulder. Pyrrha sat across from her, arms cross and eyes closed, but in what looked more like silent meditation as she prepared herself for the coming battle than a need for actual rest. Weiss sat next to her, elbow resting on the window sill and cheek pressed against the palm of her hand as she gazed across the moonlit forest.

Yang tiredly followed her gaze, looking across the same scenery they had been cruising past for over three hours now. The Forever Fall Forest was densely packed with trees and foliage, only occasionally breaking when they passed over a bridge or entered a tunnel. The very monotony of the whole trip felt like some kind of bad irony to her.

They were about to charge into the battle of their lives. The adrenaline should have been coursing through every vein and nerves alight in excitement. She vaguely recalled perhaps feeling all this when Jaune announced his decision to go. Only half an hour into her trip and that had all but vanished, to be replaced by a dull trepidation.

Yatsuhashi had managed to make things at least somewhat less uneventful by imparting some of the finer details of Jaune's plans to the rest of them, the blonde himself too busy puking in the nearest receptacle he could find to properly relay any of it. They all had a role to play in tonight's events, even Cardin. The problem was… there was just so few of them and if even one person went down early, they would pretty quickly unwind against his sisters. And Jaune made it clear that would only lead to disaster for everyone, included the residents of Kessel.

They didn't have any choice but to make this gamble though. At least Yang didn't see any other solution. Waiting around had never been her style, especially if the enemy was looking to bolster their strength. So the only thing they could do was try.

Out of the reflection of the glass she could see the boys occupying the seats across the aisle from them. Well, two of them anyways. Yatsuhashi and Cardin were seated there, but Jaune was once again conspicuously absent, having most definitely forced out by the "family curse" as he so aptly referred to it.

She slipped out from her chair, causing numerous audible pops and cracks form her joints as they received some much needed movement. Weiss sent her a curious glance out of the corner of one eye and Yang wordlessly gestured down the way Jaune had likely gone. Whether she understood her intent or not, Yang wasn't sure but Weiss appeared to lose interest either way as she went back to staring out at the moon and forest.

She slipped out between Pyrrha and Ruby, careful not to bump either of them on her way out. As she made her way towards the back of the car, the distinct sound of retching became audible. "You alright there, Vomit Boy?" Yang turned around the last seat, finding Jaune predictably hunched over a trashcan.

"Are we back to calling me that then?" He dragged his arm across his lips before turning around and giving her an exhausted smile, sweat covering the ends of his hair. Yang's nose wrinkled in disgust and she had to fight the urge to gag as the smell of vomit wafted up from the tiny receptacle behind him.

Instead she returned his smile with a forced one of her own. "Well, once you get back to your girl slaying self you can have the title of Lady Killer back. So long as you're puking all over the place though, you're Vomit Boy."

"Sounds fair enough." That was all he could say before he doubled over and gave a pained groan.

"You even going to be able to fight like this?" She crouched down next to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Be pretty lame if you got brought down because of a little motion sickness."

"I'll manage." His eyes darted around, as if not knowing where to look and once again his face was beginning to turn a darker shade of red. He made no move to turn around though, which meant if he was going to throw up again, it was about to be at the expense of her shoes.

"Not so fast there!" She hopped back, not prepared to allow herself to once again become a victim to their hereditary motion sickness. Several moments passed by and he made no signs of an imminent upchuck and in fact the moment she jumped away, his complexion began to renormalize.

Before she could think too hard about the implications of that, the train's overhead speakers gave a small ding, signalled the start of an announcement.. "Attention guests. We will be arriving at Kessel in approximately five minutes. This is the last stop on the track. All guests prepare to disembark."

"Looks like it's almost show time." Jaune grumbled lethargically as he gripped the back of the seat and attempted to stand himself up. He could barely make it and even then his knees wobbled like jelly. They needed to hurry and get Jaune off this train.

Several gasps and murmurs caught their attention and they looked to see what few other passengers there were staring out the windows, several of them with their mouths gaped in horror. Pyrrha and Yatsuhashi jumped to their feet and Yang followed their gaze, lilac eyes widened immediately as she caught brief glimpses of what they all saw.

They had pulled free from the Forever Fall Forest and now a rows of flat farmland and tall grass stretched as far as the moonlight showed, eventually disappearing into the shadow of a looming mountain. Covering the plains were the scars of battle such as smoking craters, mounds of ice, patches of flame.

His sisters had certainly passed through here. "It looks like show time may have already begun." Yang grimaced as she pressed her cheek up against the cool window, trying to see ahead. Kessel was within sight. A towering metal wall illuminated by powerful searchlights made the place impossible to miss. The town looked to be almost carved into the side of a massive mountain, it's rocky cliffs offering it protection from almost every possible side.

With such strong-looking natural defenses such as that, it was almost no wonder this place had ended up surviving with little Hunter protect for so long. The only area that needed guarding would have been the metal gateway their train was heading right for. Of course, that had been on the account of protection only against Grimm.

One way or the other, his sisters must have gotten in, judging by the rising smoke she could only make out as it drifted over the beaming lights that seemed to rise from the town. "...This is exactly what I was afraid of." Jaune thumped his forehead against the glass and gave a frustrated growl. This was probably becoming an all too familiar scene for him.

"The train hasn't stopped." Yatsuhashi observed as he strolled up to them, and it took Yang's mind several seconds to process the implications of those words. If the train was still going… that meant it was safe to enter the city, right? Was it possible his sisters had already been defeated?

She couldn't imagine that was the case, and it was impossible to gauge the true level of destruction that had occurred inside the walls thanks to their obtrusive design. Either way they were about to find out as the train was getting closer and closer to pulling through the now opening gate.

"Are we sticking with the old plan?" Cardin fiddled with the edge of his mace, following closely behind Yatsuhashi.

"It's too late to come up with a new one." Pyrrha looked to Jaune for confirmation, despite claiming this confidently. Ruby and Weiss trailed up with her, both hands placed on their weapons. They were all ready for battle. If there was even still a battle to fight.

Jaune shook his head, hair splaying across as the window as he refused to remove his gaze from the city. "First we need to figure out what's going on. Until we know more it's hard to say."

They didn't exactly have much leeway with their plan was the problem. That was always the biggest issue they had in setting out with so few of them. There had been no way for them to predict this. Now that Yang thought about it though, what did they expect? It was only a matter of time before someone else finally attacked his sisters, and they must have been caught when approaching the city borders.

Unconsciously, her hand reached across and rested on Jaune's back. She could feel his muscles tense under her touch for but a second before they seemed to relax. "Whatever's going on in there… we've got this."

Jaune gave a small exhale, his breath fogging the glass. That was all the response he gave as their train pulled through the gate and slowed to a stop, docking at the indoor station. The entire platform was completely deserted as far as she could tell. No workers, no other people waiting to board the train. The only occupants were the new arrivals.

The seven of them made their way to the door, the other passengers refusing to move and remaining put by their seats. They would probably be safer there for now anyways. No damage appeared to have been brought to the station yet but who knew if that was going to change.

With a small hiss the door to the train slid open and Jaune stalked out quickly, followed in quick succession by the rest of them. It was taking all of Yang's self-restraint not to sprint for the nearest exit and she didn't know how Jaune managed to not do so himself. Still, she didn't expect him to slow to a halt once they were all off.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha titled her head questioningly and they all glanced at him. His head was tilted down, staring at the floor almost curiously. For just a second, Yang thought she caught a glimpse of some kind of glowing mark where he had been looking, but the moment she focused on the spot, it vanished.

 _Clink_

But it was quickly replaced by a metallic, cylindrical object that dropped from above them. It gave a small hiss and began to spin around as it expelled some kind of gas that quickly enveloped the whole group.

"Shit!" She wasn't sure which of them shouted that, or if it had maybe been more than one of them who had, but at that word they all attempted to scatter at once. Yang dove backwards and crashed head first into the side of the train, shattering the glass window.

Her vision began to swim, a result of the gas or the crack to the head she couldn't tell. With a dull hum, Ruby tried to warp away with her Semblance. She appeared halfway across the platform before collapsing face-first to the ground, Crescent Rose clattering away.

Pyrrha collapsed down to one knee and reached for the shield and sword on her back. It was as she did that the culprits finally struck. A dozen hooded men and women rained down from the ceiling, two of them collapsing right on top of the champion and pinning her down to the ground.

"Py-" Yang tried to shout her name but the word died on her tongue, an ashy taste in her mouth and lips tingly with numbness. Whatever they had inhaled was potent, and Yang knew now that it was the gas affecting her vision as a growing darkness creeped around the edges.

Cardin lifted his mace and swung at two of the attackers, but they easily ducked under his stunted movement. One of them jabbed him in the back of the knee and his mouth opened in a pained yell Yang couldn't hear, but somehow felt as if the sound reverberated across her whole body.

Weiss formed a black glyph beneath her feet and managed to jump sideways, right into the waiting arms of another who quickly wrapped her in a bearhug while someone else wrestled Myrtenaster from her grip.

Five of them jumped at Yatsuhashi at once. As they all got within a couple feet of him, his Semblance activated. The gravity in his immediately vicinity increased rapidly, splitting the earth and dropping all of his attackers without him even having to lift a finger. Which he probably wouldn't have been able to do anyways, seeing as he hadn't drawn his weapon yet.

Yang gave a lurch forward and it wasn't until a black hand clamped over her mouth that she realized it was because two of them had yanked her away from the train. Her sense of feeling was completely shot.

In the middle of all this, Jaune was left completely alone. He had dropped to his knees, but instead of offering any kind of resistance like the rest of them, he merely held his wrapped hands in the air, palms open and forward in complete surrender.

Her brain sluggishly processed this fact, and as it finally seemed to click into place, an irrevocable anger permeated her whole being. As heat began to circulate through her veins, she could once again feel the ground beneath her feet, and the leathered hands gripping her arms.

"Jaune!" Her voice returned in a murderous rage as fire exploded off her body. The two men holding her were blasted backwards and off their feet. Ember Celica clicked into active mode and she thrust forward, discharging two bursts of shells at the men who had pinned Pyrrha down. Red explosions sent them flying off her, but the champion made no move to stand.

Yang stalked forward, legs nearly buckling under the weight of her own body. "What… are you doing!?" As she screamed, three more men lunged at her. She ducked under the first and pumped both fists into his chest and abdomen before flipping him over her and discharging two shots at point-blank range, sending him crashing into his buddy.

She ducked under the swing of the third and delivered two quick successive jabs followed each by another blast of her weapon. Yatsuhashi finally collapsed to his hands and knees, no longer able to fight off the effects of the gas. Like Yang, his gaze was directed solely at Jaune.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Yang was only two steps away from him now. That was as far as she got before something struck her in the upper back. Her Semblance absorbed the strike, but that did little to help her already crumpling legs and they finally gave out as she collapsed forward.

Cheekbone cracked against the ground and both arms felt like lead blocks as they lay spread out helplessly. She couldn't even use them to lift herself up, and the only thing she could do was stare up at Jaune with red eyes, the side of his face now visible from where she had fallen. His expression appeared neutral, completely unfazed by the fact that his friends were being brought down all around him.

The only movement he gave to even show he acknowledged her was a small glance out of the corner of his eye. There was no message or any form of apology. That was all he did before she was once more ripped to her feet and hefted away.

The men dragged her, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby towards the exit of the station. Meanwhile, they simply left the three boys there with them, to do what she had no idea. The last thing she saw before they pulled her around the corner…

…was one of them helping Jaune to his feet.

* * *

Yatsuhashi's neck gave an audible crack as he twisted his head, the feeling finally beginning to return to all of his minor nerves. After the women of their team had been dragged out to some undisclosed location, himself, Cardin, and Jaune had all been rather forcibly lifted to their feet.

His own blade and Cardin's mace had been confiscated and their hands cuffed before forced to walk with their still-numb legs out of the station and into the streets. The signs of destruction to the city weren't immediately obvious.

Over the top of several towering buildings he could see still rising smoke and the occasional remnants of frost. It looked like it had been restricted to a pretty straight path though. Someone here apparently knew at least a little about the sisters and their abilities if the destruction had been that contained.

The thing that was obvious though, was this battle was far from over. He didn't feel any tremors of raging battles right now, but the town was very much alive. Spotlights waved in every direction and citizens scurried around as they were being relocated to designated shelters. Grimm howled within the city walls as soldiers dressed in the same attire as the ones that attacked them scurried across the rooftops, some of them barking orders and others guiding the people.

It was apparent now that they were this town's local authorities and not some type of assassins out to kill them. Which might have explained why they had been jumped immediately upon disembarking. If they thought Jaune was an ally of his sisters, it was reasonable to assume they would try and take him down before he could reunite with them.

The part that wasn't adding up, was how calm and complacent Jaune appeared by everything that had transpired the moment they all had been attacked. "Just what the Hell is going on?" Cardin shared in none of his demeanor as the three of them were thrust into an elevator. Only one soldier walked into it with them and selected the button for the top floor.

"Hey!" Cardin stomped the ground and shoved Jaune's shoulder roughly, knocking the smaller man into Yatsuhashi from the force. "Answer my damn question! Where did they take the others? For that matter, where are we? Why are we being treated like freaking criminals?"

"Don't make me have to gas you again." It was the soldier that answered with a tired sigh. "The only thing you need to know is, our leader has requested an audience with you."

"She only had to ask. That was all rather dramatic." Jaune gestured vaguely, holding his cuffed hands into the air. What was interesting to Yatsuhashi though was he specifically said "she" when the soldier had made no mention of gender.

"Do you… know the leader of Kessel?"

Jaune looked surprised by the question for a second before he began bobbing his head as he appeared to search for the best answer. "...In a way. Though, I had no idea she moved out here, let alone became the head of policing the place." At least his nonchalance made sense now.

With a small ding, the door to the elevator opened and the three of them followed the soldier as he stepped into a circular office. It was a rather simple room, the walls metallic and the desk in the middle stacked high with paperwork. Several tall plants were placed by the curved window that overlooked the town on the other end.

Sitting on a spinning chair was a woman several years older than them. Her wavy, dirty-blonde hair was wild and untamed, sticking out in several directions, bangs pulled down so they concealed her eyes. Perhaps not surprisingly, she was a faunus, going by the floppy dog ears on either side of her head. She was dressed in a skin-tight black suit, wearing a white zip-up vest over it and a pair of fingerless white gloves.

You wouldn't have thought her town was in danger, seeing as she looked completely relaxed sitting on her chair with white, heeled boots kicked up on the desk, and a huge grin practically splitting her face. "Jaune! It's been awhile."

"Lily." Jaune appeared unabashed as he stepped forward and greeted her calmly.

The soldier that had led them tensed at Jaune's movement but Lily gave a small chuckle and waved an arm dismissively. "It's alright Lieutenant. I know you're all on edge because of the ongoing invasion, but Jaune here is an ally. So do me a favor and uncuff them before you go?"

"Ma'am!" The man nodded without question and immediately set to doing as ordered. As he pulled the metal bands off Yatsuhashi, he flexed his fingers and rubbed his wrists to once again get the blood circulating. The door slid shut behind them and they were left alone with this mysterious woman, whose relationship to Jaune, they still did not know.

"So who are your new friends, Jaune?" Lily lifted her legs off the desk and placed them on the floor behind it before leaning forward, the huge grin remaining perfectly in tact. "As I recall you never were really good at making them."

"This is Cardin Winchester." Jaune gestured to the orange-haired teen next to him, and he straightened slightly as Lily's head turned in his direction. "He's a team leader at Beacon and a friend of Joan's."

"And this here is Yatsuhashi, another student at Beacon and someone Olivia used to tutor." Even though he couldn't see Lily's eyes through her thick bangs, Yatsuhashi could feel her assessing gaze, almost like she was judging him completely from the way he stood. "I have others… but I'm guessing you already knew that."

Lily gave a small, unapologetic chuckle. "Well, you're not wrong. They've all been taken to the holding cells… for their protection, I assure you." She gave a small wave behind them towards the signs of destruction that had fallen over her city. "We've had some less than savory intruders… but I'm guessing you already knew that."

Jaune gave a small grimace. "Lily. I'm here to help-"

"I'm well aware of why you are here, Jaune." She cut him off as she began to drum her fingers on the table, smile slipping. "My biggest question is: Why didn't you come to see me sooner?" She asked in a way that was almost teasing. When Jaune didn't respond right away however, she gave a sigh that sounded disappointed.

"Juniper. Oberon. Kitsune. Arc. Flower." She gave a dramatic pause between each word, adding increasing emphasis with each successive one. Yatsuhashi and Cardin shared a confused glance, but Jaune seemed to know exactly what she was already talking about if the recognition in his eyes was anything to go by. "What is the common factor those five words share?"

"They're the names of the teams each of my sisters led while attending Beacon." He answered without missing a beat.

"And which team did you seek out?" Lily finally stood up and began to walk around the desk, each step of her heeled boots clicking loudly against the wooden floor. Jaune's face twisted in a complex mix of emotions. "You sought out Juniper, the youngest group among the five." She stopped at the front of the desk and leaned back against it, tilting her head. The bangs covering the upper part of her face shifted and exposed one brown eye.

"When the first person you should have found was me, Violet's partner."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** It had to happen eventually, but some more OCs are going to come into the story. In this arc, only Violet's partner should appear but expect her other two teammates to appear later in the story as well. For the record, the acronyms for the other four team names are OBRN, CTSN, AARC, and VLWR. Although I will likely include that in the next chapter somehow.

Anyways, aside from Violet's team and maybe Amethyst's partner, I don't plan to include the rest of the sisters' teams in the story in an active role. They will most definitely be mentioned again but not likely by individual name and it is very unlikely they'll appear themselves in the story. I did go through the effort of naming them all and everything, but more for my own benefit than any actual need to use them in the story. It is a little sad, having all these characters I created that I likely won't get to use, but I've bombarded you all enough with OCs as it is so too many more would be pushing it.

Going back to Lily; Confections101 drew some fanart for her that I posted a link to on my profile page. Her link is right below all the links to the Seven Arc Sisters that Natzo drew. So if you're interested in getting a visual representation of her, that is on my profile page for you. I'm incredibly happy with it and if you like it, be sure to let her know!

* * *

 **Omake 22**

 _Broken_

* * *

Violet leaned against the door to their family dojo, merely watching her brother strike at the wooden training dummy he had set up in the middle.

He spared with this object often, a memento from their late uncle for him to continue his training even after he had passed. Its spinning arms whirled in fast succession as Jaune ducked and struck at it with a fierceness Violet had never seen him put into anything all seventeen years of his life.

He was practically a blur as his body twirled and lashed out in a consecutive series of powerful jabs, elbows, and spinning kicks that constantly battered at the wooden dummy as if he intended to shatter it into pieces. She was honestly impressed by his fighting prowess, not knowing he had actually progressed to such a level, but at the same time she was worried.

If it had been just a burst of a few short minutes, she could understand him keeping up with this kind of consecutive series of attacks. But he had been at this for almost a solid half hour now, showing no sign of slowing his pace or stopping to cater to the injuries he incurred whenever he was too slow to block one of the spinning wooden arms.

His behavior was nothing short of self-destructive, and according to Joan he had been like this for almost a week straight, the reason why she would not say. Whatever had happened to Jaune though, he was clearly seeking to distract himself from it by whatever means possible, unaware of how much he was worrying the rest of them.

Even Ciel, who was normally the quickest of them to always offer Jaune a way to take his mind off things and where that failed prank him until he forgot, was steering clear of him in this instance.

Violet couldn't watch anymore and leaned off the door before strolling over to her younger brother, her steps firm and gaze direct. There was no way he didn't sense her presence but even as she got within a couple feet of him he made no sign to acknowledge it. If any of their sisters had done the same she would have sent them sprawling on their backs.

"Jaune." Instead she merely said his name in a tone that couldn't possibly be ignored. Finally, his body slowed to a stop as he blocked the spinning arms of the dummy and then leaned against the frame of it. All at once he began gasping for breath, his back heaving. Sweat darkened nearly his whole shirt and caused his blond hair to glisten as it rolled off the strands and dripped onto the wooden floor.

"W-what is it?" He barely managed to ask between deep gulps for air. She honestly didn't even know how he had the audacity to ask such a question when it looked like he would collapse any second.

"You tell me." She tried to sound gentle and caring, but fell incredibly short, unable to hide her anger at his apparent lack of concern for his own health.

"I… don't want to talk about it." He admitted after trying to find the words for several short seconds.

"Tough." She gripped him by the shoulder and squeezed, not enough to cause pain but enough to know that he wasn't getting out of this without a proper talk. "You're freaking the rest of our sisters out. Rouge looks like she's going to cry every time she so much as sees at you. So talk to one of us already, get it off your chest. If not to me, at least to Joan."

He gave a frustrated sigh and thumbed his head against the wooden dummy. "I'm… sorry. I didn't mean to make you all worry. I just- I don't know what else to do."

"I'm telling you what you can do. Talk to us, Jaune. We're your sisters, if you can't talk to us, who can you talk to?" She grimaced, not believing what she was about to say next. "Have you at least tried opening up about it to your girlfriend?" That last word made her want to stick a finger down her throat and throw up.

"..." He didn't say anything right away and she was worried he wouldn't respond at all until he mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't make out.

"You've got to speak up." She leaned closer, pushing aside strands of purple hair away from her ear so she could better hear as well.

"I don't have a girlfriend anymore." His voice cracked and he gave a shaky breath. "We broke up."

"...Oh." Really? Oh? Violet wanted to kick herself in the face. She could at least try to be a little more articulate than that. Then another thought hit her. If Jaune was this upset because they broke up didn't that mean…

"I'll talk to her." She spoke those words with a venomous bite before her brain even finished processing that thought.

"No!" Jaune reacted before she could even turn away, grabbing her firmly by the wrist and refusing to let go.

Violet rolled her eyes. This wasn't going to be like on their first date. She was actually going to talk to her. "She's an idiot if she thinks she'll find a guy that'll treat her better than you. I can… I can convince her that she's making a mistake." Damn, she couldn't believe she was actually considering doing this. But if this girl made Jaune happy… she couldn't possibly deny him that.

"It wasn't like that." Jaune's grip on her hand squeezed and then loosened, eyes darting around before finally meeting hers. "...I was the one that had the final say."

"What do you mean?" She didn't understand. Jaune was the one who ended the relationship? But if this was his choice, why did he look so broken up about it?

"She's moving… to Mistral." He continued to hold her gaze, even as his eyes began to shine, small droplets of tears pooling around his lids. "Her dad's job is relocating him, so her mom and sister are going too. She's going to attend Haven Academy. The two us won't… there's no way we could maintain a long distance relationship like that."

Violet's hands balled so tightly that her nails nearly broke the flesh. "You can't… just give up like that. There's got to be some way." Once again she couldn't believe she was pushing for this, but it just hurt so much to see her brother so torn up.

He gave a breathless laugh, the tears finally breaking free and rolling down his cheeks. "Reese said the same thing… she asked me to come to Haven with her. Train to become a Hunter."

Jaune… move to Haven? For just a moment, an icy hand gripped Violet's heart as the fear of that idea permeated through her whole body. Before she could say anything though, he shook his head. "I couldn't do it though… I can't leave." Was he saying that he couldn't because of their family traditions, or because he didn't want to leave? She had no idea which one it was.

Once again, he gave a laugh and face twisted in a smile full of self-depreciation. "I don't know what I was even thinking… going out and getting a girlfriend. I should have known better."

"What are you saying?" The look he was giving was beginning to make her uncomfortable, and she didn't like the implications one bit.

He held one of his wrapped hands in the air, curling the fingers in the space between them. "I can't go and become a Hunter. And it's stupid of me to think I'll ever be able to fully devote myself to anyone. First and foremost I'm a Glyph Bearer, and protecting the seven of you is the only thing I'll ever be good for."

"That's not true!" Before he could react Violet pulled him into a powerful hug, resting her chin on his shoulder and stroking the back of his blonde hair. She didn't even pay attention to the sweat of his shirt dampening hers or the smell of his body odor. He needed her right now and nothing else mattered. "You… are so much more than that."

"I don't know if I can believe that right now." His body wracked and she heard a choked sob even as he returned her hug.

"You have to believe that, Jaune. You have to." She pressed her lips against his ear as she whispered this soothingly into it. This… this was all the fault of their damn traditions.

Jaune felt this way now because they couldn't let go of the past. She wouldn't let her brother feel like this forever. One way or the other… she would annihilate these traditions and free their family from them.

She owed her younger brother at least that much.


	27. Lily

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Lily_

* * *

If someone had told Jaune when he left today for the furthest colony in Vale, that he was going to run into the former partner of his eldest sister while there, well, he would have laughed.

Life was kind of funny like that though, and that was exactly what happened. Not only was Lily here, but she was also the leader of its military. A bad time to have that position seeing as three of his possessed sisters were here wreaking havoc. Not that you would think so just going off Lily's rather lackadaisical stance.

If there was something he knew about Violet's former partner though, was that if she was relaxed it was because she had reason to be. Whatever was going on with Joan, Olivia, and Ciel, it was under control enough that they had a chance to talk and formulate a more proper plan. Assuming she even wanted to form a plan, and not just kick him out.

"So what's your excuse for not coming to find me, Jaune?" Lily was leaned up against her desk, arms crossed as she grinned. To Cardin and Yatsuhashi, she probably looked thrilled to see him. Jaune knew better. She was irritated, and her smile promised pain if she didn't like his answer.

"I had no idea you were out here at Kessel." He tried to defend himself. Seriously, how was he supposed to have known that? It had been over a year since they talked. "And the last I heard Wanda and Rue were traveling with those nomads. I had no way to contact any of you on Violet's team. Besides, it was Ozpin that came to me and offered my freed sisters protection at Beacon. I was making do with what I had."

"You didn't think to ask Ozpin to get ahold of me?" Well, when she put it like that it did make him feel kind of stupid. Of course Ozpin must have known how to or had a way to get in contact with his former students. At the very least, he probably could've used his connections to do some research and locate them that way.

"I was dealing with a lot, okay?" Lily could only shake her head at his pathetic excuse.

"...You always were a really hopeless kid, Jaune. Then again, so was Violet." She was the only person he knew outside of their family that would call Violet hopeless. "Well, no sense holding it over your head now. One way or the other you've made it out here, and so have some of your sisters. So let's discuss what we're all doing out this way."

"...What _are_ you doing out here?" That was still the thing he was trying to wrap his head around the most.

"Violet asked me to be." She tilted her head up and gazed at the ceiling, one heel clicking against the floor rhythmically. "Kessel was originally under the rather callous protection of the Schnee Dust Company until it was taken over by the White Fang who sought to use it as a strategic military training camp. When Violet and the rest of your sisters liberated it, she didn't move on right away."

Now that she mentioned it, he vaguely remembered Violet staying for awhile, after the first joint mission his sisters took together. What he didn't know was the reason she had done so, but now it all began to make sense.

"If she turned this place back over to the SDC, well then she really wasn't helping the people she saved, just adding fuel to the White Fang's cause. So she negotiated to have this place protected by the very people the White Fang were training to be soldiers. And asked me to come oversee it, knowing they were more likely to follow me as a fellow Faunus."

While she didn't say it aloud, Jaune also knew it was because Violet trusted her more than anyone else. She knew that Lily would make sure the people here were treated well and that the discrimination wouldn't be tolerated. It also spoke volumes of how much Violet thought of her strength.

"You didn't have any reservations about coming out this far?" Yatsuhashi appeared interested in particular to Lily's reasoning. It made sense in a way, as someone that had once been close to Olivia. With the exception of Joan, his sisters hadn't really gotten along well with their teams.

Violet, in fact, hadn't at first either. At least not with Wanda or Rue. Her relationship with Lily though had always been… weird. He didn't know any other way to put it.

Lily gave a small hum of thought. "Well, I wasn't exactly doing a whole bunch. I never really had a place to call home. And I certainly wasn't a White Fang sympathizer. This was a good chance for me to do some good for other Faunus and give my career some direction. But enough about me, we've got three other teams to talk about here." She looked back to Jaune and her hair shifted, once more exposing a brown eye.

"What do you mean?" OBRN (Oberon), CTSN (Kitsune), and AARC (Arc) were the other three teams his sisters had led. He had never met any of them personally. The only ones he ever had met had been Violet's team, VLRW (Flower). Although he did know that of them, Amethyst's partner had been killed during Beacon's graduation exam.

"Vale's council." He had to resist the urge to spit as she said those two words. "I heard you and them had a disagreement?"

"Something like that… you talked to them too?" He was starting to have a bad feeling of where this was going. Any kind of talk with them could mean they had wanted just one thing. He could only hope they hadn't given Lily an offer worth more to her than her unique friendship with Violet. Otherwise this conversation was going to escalate in a way he wasn't confident they could get out of.

"Oh, I talked to them alright." Lily gave a small laugh. "Twice. First after Domremy, and then again after that little stunt in Vale the other night. Unlike you, they seem to want my help." That wasn't fair, she would have been his number one pick if he knew how to find her. "Of course, I turned them down both times."

"You refused to go after them!? Why?" Cardin looked absolutely bewildered, but Jaune was just relieved to hear that was her decision. So Lily really was still on his side, or at the very least on the side of Violet.

"The council is only interested in stopping the Arc sisters by one means… their execution." Lily muttered this darkly, smile all but gone. "I will not be a part of that."

"Wanda and Rue?" They hadn't always gotten along with Violet, but he didn't want to think they would agree to kill her.

Lily shook her head. "Those two know better than to think they have a chance against Violet, let alone your other sisters. They told them the same thing I did: To counter the swords with your glyphs." He looked down at his wrapped hands and clenched them together tightly. "The same can't be said for the remaining members of your sisters' other teams though. All three members of Olivia and Ciel's teams, as well as the two remaining members on Amethyst's team have agreed to head the Council's Special Anti-Arc Task Force, as they're calling it."

This was all news to him. He knew the council had been looking for alternatives to bring his sisters down. It only made sense that they would seek out his sisters' old teammates. And what's more a majority of them had agreed, which made them his enemies as well. The problem there was, he didn't know anything about their Semblances and it wasn't like his glyphs could break their weapons. It was better to just stay a step ahead rather than ever try to directly face them in combat.

He was just glad Lily was willing to help him. "How much… do you know about what's happened?" He wasn't even sure if she knew the circumstances that led to all this. He also didn't know how much Violet had ever told Lily about their family.

She shrugged. "Not much. I just know your sisters well enough to know this isn't really their doing. And I know you've stopped the two youngest."

"It's their swords." Her dog ears twitched curiously as they perked up. "The jist of it is, the swords have possessed my sisters and are the ones making them do all this. I don't know what reason they had to do this, but when I break the sword it frees them."

"Well…" Lily's smile spread once more across her face. "That makes things a lot less convoluted than I thought they were. Stop the sword and we stop them, huh? This night just got much easier."

"She's surprisingly quick on the uptake." Cardin muttered under his breath only to be completely ignored by everyone else in the room.

"What exactly has gone on here?" He needed to know everything in detail. Especially where his sisters were now.

"About what you would expect." She held a palm in the air and gave a small shake of the head, hair billowing back and forth. "It started when I heard them approaching from the border of Forever Fall."

"You _heard_ them?" That was right. Yatsuhashi wasn't aware of Lily's Semblance, not that he expected any of them to know it. He got so caught up in just talking with her again like the old times that he forgot that neither of them knew anything about her.

Instead of responding right away with words, she placed the palm of her hand on the front of the brown desk. For a split second it began to glow white before it left the imprint of a radiating paw shaped mark. "I can infuse a small trace of my Aura and create this symbol on any surface that I touch. If I need it to be concealed, I can make it fade." She clenched her hand and the glowing paw mark dimmed until it was practically invisible. "It acts as a receptor for me, basically a second set of ears. A wiretap without the wire, if you will."

"And when I'm done with it." With a snap of the fingers, the glowing paw flashed brightly and Jaune had to avert his eyes. "From a distance it works as a good signal for my allies or up-close a nasty flashbang against my enemies." She smirked and folded her arms proudly as she finished explaining her Semblance to them.

She had a right to be proud of it, as he recalled. Violet mentioned numerous times how helpful it had been on missions. It wasn't one particularly suited for combat, but it normally gave them the edge they needed when entering into a battle. And it wasn't the first time Jaune had seen it.

It was when he saw that mark on the ground as soon as they exited the train that told him Lily was here. The others wouldn't have known what it was even if they saw it, but for him it was enough to know that they had never really been in any danger.

"Using this I was able to know Jaune had boarded the train heading for Kessel. And was able to send out a force to meet the sisters before they entered our farming fields." She began scratching her hair roughly, as if in irritation. "They sounded exhausted, having been on the run for at least the past half week. I was hoping a surprise attack would've been enough to bring them down. Turns out they were a bit more prepared than your friends."

So she had tried to use that gas on them too? He couldn't entirely say he approved of her methods, but if that had worked, he would've been able to walk over and break all three swords without having to really even do anything. Of course things were never that easy, especially when his sisters were involved.

"You can pretty much imagine how the rest played out. They wiped out my advance team and blasted their way into the city." She gave a small growl, still upset at the memory. "The panic set in and that fear brought the Grimm who got in through the gap they created. My men had two different enemies to fight, on top of trying to protect our citizens. Fortunately for us, your sisters did appear to be running on fumes. We managed to direct them into the mines, albeit with casualties."

"Are they still in there now? How long ago was this?" His brain was already whirling with possibilities. His sisters were exhausted, and as forthcoming Lily was being, he may have just gained more allies in this battle than he thought he would ever have. But if they had been in there awhile, had they recovered their strength? Or maybe they already snuck away?

"There's really only the one way out of the mines. Unless they blast their way through the other side of the mountain which I suppose they might be capable of. As far as I know, they haven't done that yet, but we lost sight of them about an hour ago. The mines are deep, forming a pretty complex network for those not familiar with it."

"...Hmm." He groaned in frustration, the heel of his foot tapping against the ground in rapid succession as he brought a thumb to his chin in thought. He had to calm down, he was letting his hopes get up too much. Even fatigued, his sisters were still formidable. And worse, they had been forced into a corner which certainly meant they were going to start to get desperate, and that made them unpredictable.

"Jaune, what are you thinking?" Lily asked tenderly, her voice suddenly much closer than just a second ago. Both hands rested on either one of his shoulders, and he looked down at the older woman who was now only inches away.

"Lily…" He wasn't sure if he could even ask anything more of her. Men under her command had already given their lives going against his sisters. Some were still fighting against the Grimm that were invading because of them.

"You've got a plan, right?" Lily brushed her bangs to the side, revealing both eyes. "You wouldn't have come here with your group otherwise. I know how you think, Jaune. It's the same way Violet always did. You consider every possibility. And just like her, sometimes you put too much emphasis on all the what-ifs. If you had a plan though, don't worry about all that. Just do it how you were going to… and leave all the other stuff to me."

"You mean-"

"You have my full support in this Jaune." She grinned brightly as she ruffled his hair. "You're the best chance we got at stopping them. And I've grown rather fond of this place, so you better believe I'm not going to let it go down without a fight."

Her smile was infectious and he felt a small one spread across his own face. "Thanks, Lily." Before the smaller woman could react he wrapped both arms around her back and pulled her into a tight hug.

For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder if this was how Violet always felt about her. Just knowing that he had her support felt empowering. Like he knew that he could do whatever it was he had to so long as she had his back. Of course, it wasn't just her that was supporting him.

"I _am_ going to need the rest of my team though."

* * *

Saying Yang was pissed off would be an understatement. No, at this point she was well beyond pissed.

First these bastards had the audacity to jump her and her companions after getting a cheap shot off with whatever had been in that gas earlier. If that hadn't been bad enough, Jaune had just completely given up on them, not so much as lifting a finger to try and get them out of the situation.

And so they had all been dragged off, her not so gently by the shoulders (and she was pretty sure they messed up her hair too) rather brazenly through the streets like they were public enemy number one. Scurrying citizens stopped and gawked at them the whole way until they were thrown into a cell in some containment facility.

Their weapons had been confiscated and the bars of the cage located in the middle of a concrete room was infused with some kind of Dust, making even her most powerful anger-induced haymaker completely worthless. She couldn't even put a dent in the damn thing.

"Pyrrha! Can't you bend our way out of here with your Semblance?" She whirled on her three cellmates, who to her increasing chagrin merely sat subdued on the bench in the middle.

Pyrrha's green eyes flickered to meet Yang's radiating red one's, and she merely gave an exhausted sigh. "Even if my Semblance could work, I don't think breaking out of here right now would be the most… wise."

"Well why not!?" Yang swung backwards, the side of her fist struck the metal bar, causing the whole cage to reverberate and a loud ting to echo across the small room.

"Yang... " Ruby drawled, almost pleadingly. She didn't see how her sister could be so calm, swinging her legs in and out like she was on some field trip and not some criminal in a cage.

"No! This is crap! We're the good guys here. Why do I feel like I'm the only one that's upset about this?" She gestured dramatically to the heiress. "Weiss! Back me up here." If anyone must have found this whole thing degrading, surely it was her.

Weiss rubbed her forehead as if warding off an impending headache. "...You said it yourself. Jaune didn't even lift a finger. If he thought what was happening to us would impede him from saving his sisters, don't you think he would have fought the hardest?"

Yang clicked her teeth loudly. Damn, she hated it when Weiss made good points. That didn't mean she had to like the way this whole thing was handled. This was just insulting. "I don't care what his reason for not telling us about this was, next time I see him I'm gonna deck him." She cracked her knuckles audibly.

"Would it be too much trouble," Yang gave a small jump at the familiar voice behind her. "If I ask that you wait until after we save my sisters to punch me?" Jaune stood on the other side of the cage, spinning the key to the cell around a single extended finger with a cocky grin on his face. On either side of him were Cardin and Yatsuhashi, already rearmed with their weapons and cradling everyone else's between their arms.

"Depends on how quickly you let me out of here." Yang's eyes narrowed at Jaune dangerously as her fingers twitched. It was taking everything she had not to reach between the bars and grab him by the collar to yank his face into the metal cage. "And your explanation better be _really_ damn good if you want me to even think about consideringly to delay pushing your teeth in."

"I don't suppose I was catching up with an old friend who has a unique sense of the word 'help' counts as a really damn good reason, does it?" He gave an awkward grin while fumbling with the lock to the cage.

"Not even close."

"Oh. Darn." He sounded pretty nonchalant seeing he was seconds away from getting knocked on his ass.

"Yang!" Ruby pulled at her arm sternly just as the lock gave a loud click and the door swung open. He was really lucky her sister was so nice. She yanked her arm free from Ruby and strolled right past Jaune. Cardin nearly dropped Crescent Rose as she tore both gauntlets from his arms and set to placing them around her wrists.

"So what's the situation?" Weiss and the others followed out much more composed and gratefully took their weapons back.

"We've got the support of Kessel's military backing us now." Wait, what? How the Hell had Jaune managed to make that happen? That was pretty much the exact opposite of what she had expected given the way they'd been welcomed to the place. "For the most part they're just going to make sure the citizens are kept safe while we stick with our original plan. They're prepared to jump in if we need though."

"Any word on Joan?" Pyrrha shifted Milo through its functions, checking for any kind of tampering while she had been separated from it.

As Jaune opened his mouth to answer, an enormous tremor shook the earth and stumbled them all. Dust rained down from the ceiling and screams of panic erupted outside. Their eyes all criss-crossed as they locked with one another and they froze in place for only a second, before as if of one mind sprinted for the exit.

Jaune slammed the heavy metal door open and they all stumbled outside, nearly tripping over each other in the process. "...Your sisters are done playing hide and seek, it would appear." Yang spun around to see a dog faunus leaning against the wall of the building they just left, arms crossed below her breasts as she gazed across the city.

Before she or anyone else could question who she was, another tremor shook the ground, this time followed by one of the most wretched noises Yang had ever heard. It almost sounded like the very earth was being ripped asunder as tons upon tons of rocks grated against one another.

The city spotlights turned one by one to focus on the side of the mountain, towards where she supposed the entrance to the mines were, and the source of that horrendous noise. As the last light clicked into place, the maelstrom of sound lulled and the shaking of the earth ceased.

For but a moment, Yang let herself be fooled into thinking that whatever it was causing all that had passed or simply given up.

 _Thum_

With a single pulse that rolled over the ground and shook her being to the core, all Hell broke loose as a full section of the mountain ruptured wide open, sending massive pieces of stone flying across the city, some of them whizzing high over their heads, before raining down like meteors. She didn't need to see where they landed to know when they hit the ground, every one followed by a miniature quake.

Flashes of Dust scorched through the air, attempting to blast back the destructive debris but only succeeding in breaking it into smaller hunks that caused just more widespread devastation. A single piece in the shape of a block whistled right over their heads as it collided with the small jail they had just been inside.

The structure collapsed and a wave of dust washed over the group, sending them into a coughing fit. Yang rubbed her eyes and held a hand over her mouth as she attempted not to inhale any more of the unpleasant tasting smoke. As it began to clear, the faunus woman came into focus. She hadn't moved a muscle, and continued to lean up against about the only bit of wall that hadn't crumbled away.

In the middle of all the rubble she could see the metal bars of the cage her and her sister had just been in not even five minutes ago poking out at odd angles. If they had been in there… she didn't want to even think about it. She supposed too that she could forgive Jaune now, having gotten them out of there as quickly as he did.

"I hope Jaune," This girl that must have been Lily didn't look outwardly distraught by the carnage around her, or the screams of her people, but the deep guttural growl in her voice as she spoke more than conveyed how seething she truly was. Even Yang felt herself shiver at that voice. "That plan of yours has accounted for a way to bring down that thing."

Yang couldn't see the woman's eyes through the bangs of her hair, but she didn't need to follow her gaze to know exactly what she was looking at as a terribly familiar massive Beowulf made of solid ice lumbered out of the gaping chasm that had formed in the side of the mountain.

"Yeah… just leave that to me." Jaune slowly straightened out as his fists clenched tightly. "Everyone else. Break into pairs and stick to the plan." His voice was firm and unwavering, overflowing with conviction. This was the third time and place he had seen take this kind of destruction due to his sisters. Yang could only imagine how much that built on him with each consecutive incident.

"On it." Ruby jogged past Yatsuhashi, patting him lightly on the elbow as she ran past. He didn't even hesitate to follow after her. Pyrrha and Cardin nodded to one another before taking off next.

Weiss took a couple jogging steps after them before slowing to a stop and turning back to Yang. "You coming?"

"...Yeah." Yang stared at Jaune for a moment longer, wondering if she should say anything, offer him some kind of assurance.

"It's fine, Yang." He beat her to it, blue eyes locking with lilac as he turned back to face her. Never before had she seen so much confidence flowing through him, emanating off his very Aura. "This time, we're not going to let them do what they want."

"This time, we're going to win."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 23**

 _Sunshine_

* * *

Amethyst bobbed her head up and down as she rocked to the rhythm of the new album one of her favorite bands had just put out.

The grass of the hill she laid on felt nice and cool against her back, providing just enough cushion to not feel rough and stood in nice contrast to the warm rays of sunlight that was only briefly interrupted by a scarce cloud in an otherwise blue sky. Days like this were perfect.

It was on days like this that she had no worries. She didn't have to worry about Beacon or the team she barely got along with. There was no pressure to pick up that scythe that seemed so keen on haunting even her dreams lately. Nope, it was just her, her music, beautiful nature, and her only brother who lay next to her, listening to his own music.

She cracked a single red eye open and glanced at him almost curiously. He wasn't saying anything, merely laying there in what had been perfect mimicry of her. His eyes were closed and he had both hands tucked behind his head, gently bobbing it back and forth to the rhythm of his more slow-tempo music, occasionally his foot twitching to accompany it.

Like her, he was perfectly content to lay still and just do nothing. There didn't need to be any kind of excitement going on or for any words to pass between them in order to enjoy one another's company. That was what she loved about spending time with him. There weren't any expectations. Just being next to one another was enough.

Why couldn't every day be like this? Why did she have to train to be a Huntress and be the wielder of that scythe she didn't even like? It all seemed so pointless now. Back then, when she had been offered the chance to see if she had been compatible with one of the swords, she jumped at the chance, simply excited to be able to have the opportunity to be like her big sister.

The scythe had been the first one she grabbed. It was supposedly the strongest of all the swords, and she thought surely if she was compatible with that one, wouldn't that make her even better than Violet? Not someone that always had to be looked after but someone that could stand by her sister as an equal. Someone that all the others would have to look up to, and not simply past.

If only it was still that simple. She couldn't quit now. Her brother needed her… needed all of them now. If they didn't find a way to make the swords obsolete, there would come a day when they had to pass their weapons onto the next generation. And in turn another bearer would be marked, beginning the countdown to the end of Jaune's life.

She didn't want that. To just simply sit by and watch as he counted every day until he was killed by the glyphs on his hands. It was unfathomable to describe how horrifying the very notion of that was, and she couldn't believe not only had her father watched it happen to his own brother, but every generation back for hundreds of years, had done the same.

Violet had the crazy idea to wipe out all Grimm. If there was no Grimm, surely there was no need for the swords. But was it really that simple? Humans had fought wars before, and they would almost definitely do it again. In fact, wars would probably only get worse with the extinction of Grimm.

There was so much uncharted land. Land that the kingdoms would then be able to expand to and claim as their own. And in their greed to have more, the conflicts would inevitably start. And instead of having to kill Grimm, the swords would just be needed to kill other humans. That was assuming killing all Grimm within their lifetime was even possible.

Violet seemed confident of their odds but Amethyst was less sure… if you asked her, there was a much easier, simpler way.

"A lien for your thoughts?" She was started when her brother's voice intervened in her thoughts, right at the perfect opportunity as one song ended and the next began. He was always good at waiting for just the right moment to talk, a talent none of their other sisters seemed to have nor cared to try and develop.

Both blue eyes were staring directly into the one red eye she had cracked open. She gave an embarrassed sigh, slightly ashamed at having been caught staring at him especially when thinking about something so heavy. What happened to not having any worries?

She shifted one side of the headphones off her ear and opened the other eye to give him her full attention. "Say Jaune… hypothetically speaking…" She paused and pondered how to say next what she wanted without sounding crazy.

"Yes?" He prodded gently, reached over and grazing the skin of her arm with the tips of his fingers.

"If I asked you to do it, would you break Mortem Caligo?" And there it was. Did they really have to go through so much just to come up with a reason not to have the swords and by extension a glyph bearer? Wouldn't it be so much easier for all of them to just quit? Just give him the swords, let him be of use to them all, unshackling them from their fate and in the same way him from his own.

Jaune's eyes widened slightly and she could practically hear the gears in his head whirl as he processed what she just asked him. "...Do you not want to be a sword wielder anymore?" There was an almost imperceptible layer of hurt to his voice and Amethyst suddenly wanted to kick herself.

What was she thinking? Jaune was just like her once. He had wanted nothing more than to be like them, just like how she wanted to be like Violet. The difference was, she had been compatible with the one of the swords where he hadn't. No matter how she felt about it now, she had been accepted by that scythe.

"Nevermind. It was a stupid thought." She turned back to the sky and continued to stare at it, not willing to meet her brother's eyes anymore. In a sense now, she understood why Violet had never made such a stupid offer now. Like always, she was just thinking about Jaune, and trying not to inadvertently hurt him the way she just had.

"Hypothetically-" Jaune started talking again, his voice barely audible over her music. "If that was what you truly wanted, Amethyst, I would do that for you." His selfless words only served to cut her more deeply. Even though doing that would only hurt him, he wouldn't hesitate if it was her or any of their sisters asking.

"The only thing I want Jaune… is for us to be able to do things like this for the rest of our lives." She was done thinking about all this stupid stuff. Even if it was only once in awhile that the two of them could just get away from everything and lay next to one another in the sunlight, she would be content. No matter what the future held.

So long as she had this in it, she would be happy.


	28. Rematch

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Rematch_

* * *

Every lumbering step of that gargantuan ice Beowulf shook the entire city of Kessel, rattling the windows enough to make them clatter, and dislodging loose pieces of infrastructure.

Not to mention it made it really hard to run in a straight line, which was really starting to piss Yang off. How were they supposed to get anywhere thanks to that stupid thing stomping all over the place? Then again, that was probably the point.

It wasn't just her and Weiss that were having trouble running and the numerous military guards zigzagging through the city tripped and fell along with the two of them every time that thing touched down. She really hoped Jaune got to it soon. All it took was him to barely graze the thing with one of his glyphs and it would vanish just like that.

Which was pretty handy considering nothing else seemed to have any effect on it. Torrents of Flame Dust scorched through the air and blasted the Beowulf, having little to no effect at melting the ice produced from Glacies Inferno.

"Do we even know which way we're supposed to be heading?" Weiss pushed off the wall she had been using for support after the latest quake that had nearly sent them both sprawling.

"I'm just following the sounds of screams." Yang admitted with a rueful smile. It wasn't like she had anything else to go off of. They had lost sight of the others at some point just trying to navigate this maze of a town. Seriously, if this was how the surface was, she did not want to see how convoluted they managed to make the mining network.

"We've got to find Ciel! She's the only one you and I have a strategy against. It's going to end very poorly for us if we run into the other two, or worse, all of them together without backup." Weiss didn't need to tell her again, especially in that tone. She already knew what they had worked out.

"Well if you've got a better idea I'm all ears." Seriously, it wasn't like they had any other way to track these girls. Every once in awhile she saw a flash of light that was likely the doing of Crocea Mors, so they at least knew how to avoid her. One way or the other they were getting closer seeing as the sounds of battles were becoming more pronounced. And now that she thought about it, wasn't it getting a little chilly?

It was only a moment later that she began to see her hot breath materialize in a cloud in front of her…. and that could only mean one thing.

Several loud screams echoed over the rooftops as the soldiers that had just turned the street corner ahead of them were sent flying backwards and into the concrete walls. Following closely behind them were at least a dozen ice Beowolves. Unlike the large one, these stood more around their height as they prowled on all fours, edging closer to the downed soldiers in order to deal the deathblow.

And in the middle of them all was Ciel Arc. The blue-haired woman merely strolled lazily, hands in sweatshirt pockets and an almost bored look in her eyes as she watched her creations skulk about.

"...I don't think we'll need one, after all." Weiss skid to a stop several steps behind Yang who slowed to a steady stroll. As the nearest Beowulf made it to one of the defenseless soldiers she swung a fist forward, discharging a Dust round that blew its head clean off.

With a loud shatter, the rest of the creature crumbled apart, earning the attention of all the others and their master. As Ciel's eyes lit up in recognition, Yang held a palm up in greeting. "Yo! You ready for our rematch?"

"...If it's not one thing, it's another." Ciel pulled a hand from her pocket and ran it through her blue hair. "I thought I sensed the glyphs here. So much for having a nice relaxing evening."

"Is destroying towns how you relax now?" Yang's eyes flickered back and forth, trying not to lose a single Beowulf. The last time her and Ciel had fought it had been because one of them got the jump on her that Jaune had to bail her out. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. Of course, if the sounds of battles around them were anything to go by there were a lot more ice Grimm around the city than just these ones.

"They attacked us first. We simply wanted a nice place to eat and rest. It's not our fault you humans have a vendetta against us." She still made no move to pull Glacies Inferno out and had quit moving altogether as her Beowolves inched closer.

"If it seems like 'us humans' have a vendetta against you, maybe it's because you've destroyed our homes twice now?" Weiss' glyphs hummed to life and Yang could see the light from their glow as a whole line of them formed behind her.

"You'll have to forgive us if killing is the only way we really know how to handle our problems. After being used to kill so many in all your other wars, I guess it just became part of our nature." Yang was sick of listening to the swords talk like they were the victims in all of this.

"You ready, Weiss?" She glanced back just briefly to see the row of glyphs Weiss had created start rotating, the low hum emitting from them gradually getting louder.

The heiress gave a quick nod. "Go. I'll cover you." That was all the reassurance Yang needed. She pointed the barrels of Ember Celica at the ground and discharged two shots, the concrete behind her exploding as she was propelled through the air and right into the thick of the Beowolves.

"Ha!" Before the first could react her fist drilled right through its chest, protruding out the other end. Such an attack would kill any other creature, but these ice Beowolves weren't alive in the same sense and even with her arm through its chest it raised one of its icy claws. Yang ducked under the strike and wrapped an arm around its torso. With a twirl and a mighty heave she chucked the Beowulf clear into the air and right into several of its buddies.

Three of them broke apart with a loud shatter. Only for another six to take their place as Ciel's now brandished dagger produced even more of the Grimm lookalikes that she brought to life with a single breath. Yang backpedaled as the ice creatures attempted to surround her.

Vicious growls from behind of what sounded like real Beowolves caused her body to tense in fear. A second later though and astral projections of once living Grimm bounded over her head and tackled into their icy counterparts. The undead creatures summoned by Weiss' glyphs howled and roared as one of the most unusual brawls Yang had ever witnessed unfolded in front of her.

Weiss' summoned Beowolves did battle with Ciel's ice ones, the creatures biting and clawing at one another in savage combat and ripping each other apart. Too bad she really didn't have the luxury to sit back and just watch. Ciel summoned yet more in a bid to overwhelm what Weiss had produced. The heiress' appeared to be stronger, but the number she could summon was fairly limited compared to the seemingly infinite amount the Arc sister could continuously keep spitting out.

With a short breath, Yang charged right into the thick of battle. She ducked and twisted around the flailing limbs of both light and ice, throwing in jabs whenever she could as she made her way up to Ciel. Shards of ice splashed across her back as one of the Beowolves shattered and the light of another flickered out as it met its end.

With one last duck she slipped onto the other side of the battlefield, now only several feet away from her opponent. The curved dagger glowed bright blue for a second before that energy pulsed out in a sphere around her. It wasn't the first time Yang had seen this technique. When she first fought against her, that sphere flash-froze everything it came into contact with, and it was even cold enough to whittle away the flames of her Semblance. This time was different though. This time she had Weiss.

A red glyph formed just below Yang's feet and scorching heat radiated out from beneath her. Instead of being burned, Yang's Semblance absorbed the heat, fueling herself with it. Lilac eyes transformed into a bloody red while her golden hair began to spark and flicker.

She met the flash freeze head on, the combined power from her and Weiss' Semblances searing through it without effort. If Ciel was surprised or annoyed by how easily they countered her ability, she didn't show it as she twisted out of the way and dodged Yang's fist. "...It would seem you're more prepared than you were last time." Instead she talked casually as she twirled the dagger and swung it in a wide arc. Yang blocked the slash with the side of one gauntlet and discharged a shot with the other. "But you're naive if you think you can take me in close combat."

Even at point-blank range Ciel was able to dodge the Dust shot. Her head then whipped forward in an unexpected headbutt. Their foreheads connected with a loud crack and Yang stumbled backwards.

Damn. Yang nurtured the wound as her vision flashed white. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, even with a strategy, but she had expected Ciel to be at least a little less versed in close quarters combat because of the way she wielded that dagger. It was more like she was magician than a Huntress. As Jaune always said though, things with his sisters were never that easy. There was a reason they were so feared.

Still, it wasn't like Yang had to win. Just hold her off long enough for Jaune to do his work. She gave a teasing grin as her vision began to refocus. "Can't blame me for trying though, can you?"

"I don't even see why you bother. You can't win. What do you gain from helping that glyph bearer in all this?" A bright flash from behind Ciel lightened the sky as she asked that question, and the once massive ice Grimm in the distance vanished without a trace.

"He's more than just the glyph bearer. And as you can see, we got more than just a chance at winning. When he gets here, he's gonna kick your ass." She cracked both knuckles and started to strut forward. Ciel didn't move at all as she appeared to roll Yang's words in her mind before giving a small snort of amusement.

"More than a glyph bearer? That's a cute joke and just proves you don't even know the most fundamental thing about him." Whatever else Ciel planned to say, Yang didn't even want to hear it as she leapt forward, hot and cold colliding as Ember Celica and Glacies Inferno clashed.

She wasn't going to let anything this dagger said get to her. No matter how troubling the implications of her words were...

* * *

"We're really going to go through with this again?" Yatsuhashi's grip on his sword tightened at Olivia's exasperated tone.

"This won't be the same as last time." The two of them stood opposite of one another, in what had once been a street full of people. Now it was a street full of corpses, as at least a dozen of Kessel's soldiers lay fallen behind her, most of them looked to have been killed by their own weapons. Not unlike the way she had tricked Coco into murdering Fox.

"I kicked your asses when it was three of you. What do you hope to accomplish by yourself?" Olivia continued, waving her sword around with ease despite its massive size.

"You are also on your own. Would it not have been better to stick together?" Yatsuhashi didn't let the broad side out of his gaze, looking for any sign of what might be the real Olivia sneaking up on him while they simply chatted.

"We can clear more ground separate. It would take too long to wipe this place out if we all walked around together." Olivia talked to him slowly, as if imparting wisdom to a child. "If they just would've left us in peace we could've taken food and gotten rest without all this nonsense. Not that it matters. Taking it by force is more my speed anyways. I just can't stand all these people getting to have it so easy while I have to starve and be tired."

Yatsuhashi couldn't even believe it was Olivia's voice being used to say such cruel, heartless things. She may have always been a somewhat difficult person, but she never wished ill-will on another. "Everyone out here works hard for their way of life. It was something they fought hard to obtain. You of all people should know that, having personally been responsible for helping liberate it."

"That's exactly my point. These people owe everything they have to me and the other swords. So there's no problem if I take that back." He didn't even know why he had tried reasoning with her in the first place. There was nothing to gain from talking with these swords.

He raised his sword above his head and charged forward with a loud yell. He knew this in all likelihood wasn't the real one, but until he could see where she was hiding in the mirror of her claymore, it was better to not stand in one place.

Olivia smirked cruelly and gave a small flick of her green hair before holding up the claymore. Yatsuhashi swung forward and their big swords clashed with a loud clang. Sparks flew from the contact point and the swords grinded against one another for superiority. Despite her smaller stature, Olivia began to gain the advantage as his own sword began to be pushed back.

Yatsuhashi teeth grit and he activated his Semblance. The gravity around him increased dramatically, splitting the earth beneath his feet and reversing the direction of their swords. Olivia's cruel smirk slipped as he overpowered her completely and she was sent crashing to her knees. Viridis Teresa slanted and his sword slid off the side of it before shattering the ground.

The street ripped from the force of the strike and Olivia was sent flying to the side along with several blocks of concrete. Despite this, he didn't hear a single yell or even a gasp of pain as she landed with a dull thud.

It was only for a second that he lost sight of her. One of the concrete blocks passed over Olivia's body and obscured his vision of her, but in that second she transformed. And the one laying on the ground was no longer Olivia, but Velvet.

He stopped hard, mind locking up as he looked down at the lifeless eyes of his partner, blood pooling under her body. He knew it was an illusion, he of course knew that. But the horrible vivid detail was enough to throw doubt into his mind for another second.

And that was all it would take for Olivia to cut him down. In that second he allowed the illusion to distract and disorient him, he should have died.

Instead, a loud gunshot cracked and echoed over everything else as a high-powered bullet barreled just behind him. In his peripherals he caught a spark as the sniper bullet made contact with Viridis Teresa. The illusion around him shattered and Velvet vanished as he spun around to face the real Olivia, swinging his blade.

She barely managed to block his slash and stumbled several feet back from the force of the blow, purple eyes still wide and jaw slack, showing her bewilderment. "You made a miscalculation, Teresa, thinking I was alone."

Coming up with a counter for Olivia's illusions hadn't been easy. Even if he and Ruby had stuck together, there was no guarantee they would even be seeing the same thing at the same time. However, by placing her outside of the range of Olivia's illusions, she was able to offer him sniper support, and by simply striking the sword while someone was in an illusion was enough to disable it.

That was the strategy he and Jaune had managed to come up with. And now, without Olivia's illusions it came down to a battle of swordsmanship, and she would have twenty-five seconds before she had a chance to trap him in a new shroud.

Olivia clicked her teeth loudly. "So you found a way to counter my illusions? Big whoop. It's still just you and me. And who do you think it is that spent months tutoring you?" She raised her sword and tilted it, crouching low in preparation to charge.

"It's been some time since Olivia and I last sparred." Yatsuhashi mirrored her movement, the muscles in his body tensing for combat. "I have improved since our last bout."

"We'll see about that." The two of them shifted at the same time, springing forward and striking at one another. Their blades connected and bounced backwards. Olivia brought her sword up high and Yatsuhashi low before they swung at one another again.

The wind battered at his face and arms as their swords abruptly halted again, the muscles in his arms locking. The strength she displayed in the illusion hadn't been fake. Despite how little and frail she initially appeared, Olivia swung the claymore that was almost as tall as she was like it was a butter knife.

He always assumed that was another part of what it meant to be compatible with it, but even when he put all his own strength into trying to match her he found at most he could only reach a stalemate.

Perhaps the most difficult part of fighting Olivia was trying not to look into her dark purple eyes. If he allowed himself to make contact for even half-a-second, she would ensnare him in her Semblance and he would lock up, giving her the edge she needed.

Learning to fight from Olivia in the past had been… enlightening, learning to study the little nuances and tensions of the human body to predict their intent, instead of relying on what their eyes conveyed. It was thanks to all that practice against her he was able to fight evenly now.

Olivia's face twisted in frustration as she skipped backwards, just out of range as Yatsuhashi brought his sword down. He stopped just short of striking the ground, before once more aligning himself back into a ready stance. "I told you this wouldn't be like last time." Her scowl became more pronounced at Yatsuhashi's words. "The last time the three of us fought you, we underestimated your abilities, thinking because we knew you that we knew the full scope of your powers… That mistake cost us Fox's life."

"Beating me isn't going to bring him back. If you're trying to kill me out of some sense of revenge, than you aren't any better than I am."

Yatsuhashi shook his head. "This isn't about revenge or atonement. It's simply about doing what's right."

"You talk about right and wrong like my life somehow has lesser value, simply because I'm not a human. That's the part that disgusts me about you all the most." Olivia twirled the claymore and once again closed the gap between them. As their blades clashed, off in the distance he saw an eruption of ice and flames as well as a surge of light.

It would appear all their respective battles had begun in earnest.

* * *

"Joan!" Pyrrha skid to a stop as she finally caught sight of her partner and best friend once again.

Tracking her down hadn't been difficult as she continued to blast off waves of golden light that lit up sections of the city. Whole buildings vanished, consumed and destroyed by her light attacks. How many more people had already been killed tonight by the power of that sword? If Pyrrha had her way, these would be the last. There was already enough on Joan's conscience as it was.

The blonde girl twirled around, smiling malignantly at the sight of the champion. "Oh, so you did come crawling out here with the glyph bearer. I thought after that lesson I gave you last time you would've been smart enough to stay clear."

"The only thing I learned from our last encounter is that the way to save Joan is by killing you." Pyrrha stepped cautiously forward, shield raised in defense and sword held out to the side at the ready.

"Or you could just accept that I am Joan now. There's no need for anyone to have to die." Those weren't the most convincing words coming from someone that had just finished killing another group moments before.

"..." Pyrrha didn't respond at all, not even wanting to hear Joan's voice anymore until it was actually her speaking. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Cardin running atop the roof of the building nearest Joan. With a mighty leap he sailed into the air until he was right over her and plummet to the ground, brandishing his mace.

Without even turning to face him, a shimmer of Aura appeared above Joan's head as her barrier Semblance activated. Cardin gave a shout of exertion as he brought his mace down, the fire crystal inside exploding outwards and blasting at the barrier, not so much as even putting a dent in it.

He landed in a crouch next to the blonde and she spun on him, swinging her sword at his throat. Cardin deflected the strike with the hilt of his mace. Pyrrha used the opportunity to mecha-shift Milo, firing a round from its rifle mode. Joan held her shield out and it absorbed the bullet, using it as fuel to power the sword.

Pyrrha closed the remaining distance, once more mecha-shifting Milo back into a sword. Joan continued to batter at Cardin with her sword and held the shield up to combat Pyrrha. Milo and the shield sparked as they reflected off one another.

With a twirl and a skip, Joan backpedaled away from both opponents who quickly sought to shorten the gap between them. Cardin swung his mace down only to once more have Joan's barrier Semblance intercept him. Pyrrha sprung around the side of it, slashing with Milo. Joan ducked and barely dodged the attack, strands of her blonde hair getting lopped off in the process.

Cardin circled around the other side, placing himself behind her. The blade of Crocea Mors glowed brightly with yellow energy as she thrust forward, unleashing a powerful wave at Pyrrha from point-blank range. And without turning around she battered Cardin's mace to the side in the same motion.

Pyrrha fell backwards, letting gravity overtake her as she barely dodged the attack. Only a split second before the back of her head cracked against the ground she caught herself by the metal ringlet with her Semblance. The blinding light flickered and subsided and without even placing a hand on the ground for support she lifted herself back up, once more aided by her Polarity.

She stabbed at Joan while Cardin once more swung at her, pincering her from both sides. The blonde hopped in the air, flipping clear over both attacks before seemingly landing on thin air, having place a barrier beneath her feet.

She flipped over Cardin, compressing her shield back into a sheath before whipping it at him. Cardin swung at the sheath, the top end of his hilt battering it. On contact, the spring mechanism in the sheath clicked, expanding it back into a shield, knocking Cardin's own mace into him from the force and ricocheting it into Joan's extended hand.

As Cardin stumbled and fell, Pyrrha leapt over him, throwing her own shield like a discus. Using her Polarity, she added a powerful rotation to it, turning the shield into a buzzsaw. Joan flipped over it and landed in front of the champion.

Milo mecha-shifted from a sword to a javelin as Pyrrha blocked a jab and bent out of the way, Crocea Mors discharging a direct beam of light that seared a hole in the nearest building.

Pyrrha's eyes flickered to Akuo for a split second, aiming to change its direction. In that split second, her head jolted to the side as Joan bashed her with her own shield. The spinning of discus stopped and clattered to the floor as she lost control of her Semblance. In the same way Jaune once had, Joan countered her special ability in the impossibly short window she presented when using it.

She staggered backwards, nearly losing balance as her vision distorted, displaying duplicates of everything. She saw two Joan's as she raised Crocea Mors high, light energy radiating off it as she prepared to land the finishing blow.

"No you don't!" Cardin staggered back to his feet, keeping his head and torso tucked low as he tackled into Joan from the side, sending her crashing to the ground and the light wave to fly off to the side, completely erasing another building from existence.

Pyrrha's vision rightened as Cardin rolled away from the downed Joan. Not willing to give her a chance to recover, the champion charged only to run smack into another barrier generated by Joan's Semblance.

The blonde stumbled to her feet before Pyrrha could make it around to the other side, swinging her sword wildly to ward off any attack she could've made. Pyrrha held up an arm, once again calling for Akuo and this time it flew to her. With an audible clink it clicked in place to her metallic armband as she readied herself once more for battle.

Cardin lumbered up next to her, Joan's blue eyes flickering between the two of them as she slowly, almost cautiously took several backwards steps. In the past, Pyrrha had been capable of fighting Joan to a standstill by herself. Of course, neither had been trying to kill one another in those friendly spars. Together with Cardin, it was starting to look like the might be able to push her back.

Crocea Mors began to once more glow with golden energy as Joan held the sword out to the side. Cardin and Pyrrha rushed at the same time, determined to stop her from discharging another wave but both ran right into a new barrier Joan had placed between them. Neither had the time to run around it. Joan pulled the blade back, prepared to swing it forward, the golden energy surrounding it humming loudly.

"Joan!" Jaune's voice called over the droning noise, the blonde falling from directly above her in the same way Cardin had earlier. Joan's eyes widened with fear and the barrier separating her and them vanished. Before she could place it overhead though, he already fell the remaining distance, wrapped hand extended. White light poured out from in between the wraps as it surged and resonated with the sword.

On what looked like pure instinct, Joan held her shield up and Jaune's outstretched hand touched down on it.

 _Neow_

His glyph reacted, the white energy discharging in what should have shattered the shield into hundreds of tiny particles. Instead, the shield remained in place, perfectly in tact as it appeared to absorb the energy instead.

His twin's eyes lit up maliciously as the evil grin spread across her face. "You ever heard of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, Jaune!?" It was never a question Pyrrha had given much thought to. There were no such things as an unstoppable force or an immovable object, after all. However, she supposed Joan's shield and Jaune's glyphs were the closest in terms one could get to those states. Only in this case… if the immovable object were to _absorb_ the unstoppable force…

She felt her face pale and knees began to wobble even as Jaune's own fear palpably materialized. "How much power do you think it takes for your glyphs to destroy unbreakable swords?" Joan had to shout over the sound of her sword now, the once golden glow turning into a blinding white as it began to expel strings of what looked like pure magma that seared and melted the concrete next to her feet.

Pyrrha had never seen Crocea Mors do that before. It was like its very ability was transforming as it rendered the unfathomable energy contained within Jaune's glyphs.

"And all that power… is now mine!"

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** It's about Christmas now. So have a special Christmas Omake to celebrate that! Included in it is the closest to a self-insert I'll probably ever get.

* * *

 **Holiday Omake**

 _Christmas Special_

* * *

"Merry Christmas! Joan, Jaune, here's your gift from all of us." The twins happily accepted their combined present from Ciel, who presented it on behalf of all their siblings.

Christmas was always rather… chaotic, for lack of a better word, in their household. Joan wouldn't have it any other way though. She loved the excitement of it all. The days leading up to it as a myriad of gifts piled under their tall pine tree.

Jaune helped their father pick out the one this year, the two of them heading into the forest by their house to cut it down. Then their mother and the youngest three sisters spent the rest of that day decorating it. The older four sisters had spent the day hanging up all the lights and decorations outside the house.

The best part for her though was being woken up by the excited pitter-patter of her two younger sisters feet as they pranced around the hallway, eagerly trying to wake the rest of their family so they could begin opening all the presents. Once all ten of them were finally sitting, most of them scattered throughout the floor, their parents with their coffee, on the couch, were they able to begin opening all their gifts.

"Joan, come on! Let's open it." Jaune eagerly held up their present between them. Like every year, Jaune and Joan never actually got separate gifts. Despite being a boy and a girl, their family treated them as practically one entity when it came to choosing a gift for them that they would share.

Again, Joan personally wouldn't have it any other way, and she knew he felt the same. Her and Jaune never fought over their gifts, as it was usually something the two of them could use together, and even if it wasn't they always found a way to share it without bickering.

She grabbed one side of the box-shaped present and grinned at her brother before giving a small nod. Together they tore into the wrapping paper, shredding it apart in an effort to get to what lay inside. The floor was almost completely concealed now by all the wrapping paper that had once concealed every box.

Their eyes went wide as they uncovered a sizable Star Wars themed Lego set. "Oooh…!" They grinned brightly, flipping it over and reading the contents of the package, Joan's mind already whirling with the most efficient way to construct the pieces between the two of them.

"I take it that you're both pleased then?" Violet leaned over them and they both nodded enthusiastically, still holding the box between them.

"We love it!" They said in perfect unison of one another, eliciting a series of giggles from their older siblings.

"I'm glad." Violet ruffled both their heads before heading over to open her own gifts, now that the rest of her siblings had finished tearing into all their own.

Joan took in a quick count of all their siblings, most of them admiring their gifts, a couple of them inspecting what the others had gotten, and all of them chatting loudly. On the couch, their parents whispered quietly to one another, father handing a small package to their mother while none of the others were paying attention.

This was also the perfect chance for her. "Hold this for a second, Jaune." He gave her a confused look as she forced the whole lego set into his arms and began to scurry across the floor, nearly slipping over the wrapping paper on the way.

Hidden in the farthest corner of the tree was one more gift, one that hadn't been wrapped. She pulled it out and hid it behind her back before making her way back over to Jaune. Traditionally in their family, all the siblings pitched in together to just get one gift for each other. This year though, she had also wanted to get something for Jaune herself.

She slid to a stop right in front of him, hands still behind her back, sheepish grin on her face. "I know we normally don't get one another anything, since our gifts are always just a combined thing… but I decided to get you something anyways." She pulled her arms around and presented the gift to him, a plush Cyndaquil, his favorite Pokemon. She knew this because it was her favorite too.

Jaune stared at it for several quiet seconds and she started to worry maybe he didn't like it. As he set the legos down though and took it, a huge grin once more stretched across his face. "Thank you… Joan."

"You like it… right?" Something about his tone still made her feel unsure, but he did look happy.

He nodded before scratching his cheek sheepishly. "It's great! I'm really glad… it's just…" That couldn't be good. She didn't know what to expect. So when he reached behind his own back and shifted aside the pillows he had sat meticulously behind him, only to pull out an exact replica of the Cyndaquil plush she had given him, she was even more confused.

"I kind of had the same idea." Jaune admitted as he held it up to her. "...Merry Christmas?"

Exactly as he had, she sat there and stared at it for several quiet seconds. As the surprise began to give way, it was replaced by a feeling of warmth and she gave a quiet giggle. Her own giggle caused Jaune to chuckle and as if feeding off one another's amusement their laughter got louder until they were both doubled over, having trouble even breathing.

Once they finally calmed down, Joan accepted her own plush from his hands and they both held them up to their respective chests. "Merry Christmas, Jaune." She smiled sweetly at her brother who returned the gesture.

She really loved being his twin.


	29. Jaune vs Joan

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Jaune vs Joan_

* * *

Well shit.

There really wasn't any other way to put it. Jaune had been in pretty lousy situations before, but he was pretty sure this one took the cake. Turns out, the shield part of Crocea Mors was not only immune to his glyphs, it could also absorb their power and use it against him. Who knew?

He certainly didn't as he was now forced to backpedal away, putting as much distance between himself and the white vibrating blade. He had never seen the sword do something like that before, nor heard about it doing such a thing in any of the texts he read.

This was quite literally an unprecedented situation, and it certainly didn't make him feel any better that Joan appeared absolutely elated, blue eyes wide and shaking with a murderous gleam.

Globs of viscous goo dribbled and sprayed off the blade like an overflowing well of searing energy. The white hot lava splayed across the ground and left searing holes as it melted through anything it came into contact with.

"What do you say, Jaune!?" Joan sounded absolutely giddy as she pulled the sword back and held it behind her. "Why don't we see what this baby can really do?" That sounded like an absolutely horrible idea to him. He wanted no part of anything that Crocea Mors was now capable of. Too bad for him, he didn't have much choice in the matter.

He bumped into something solid and realized Cardin was rooted in place, and just next to him was Pyrrha. Like Jaune, their eyes were glued to the surging sword in a mix a shock and terrified awe. Now was definitely not the time to be standing in one place, as Joan swung her sword at them.

In the past, such a movement when have released a wave of yellow light. He called it a wave anyways, but it was more like a wide-spread beam than a wave of the ocean. However, this actually did appear like a wave as a solid wall of lava rose up, the top of it curling as it collapsed down in a bid to wash over them.

"Can your glyph destroy that?" Pyrrha yelled over the sound of it melting everything in its path.

"We're about to find out!" This wave of energy was in essence, the same as his glyphs. His glyphs didn't work on themselves, otherwise, he would have destroyed his own hands just by rubbing them together. But if it worked on this… what did that say about his powers? Weren't they the same as the power of the swords then?

Not like he even had time to worry about that right now. Extending the other hand forward, he felt the glyph underneath his hand surge and react to the wave of white. The skin on his arms blistered and burned as the wave collapsed around him and even over the noise he could hear Pyrrha suck in a breath of pain as her metal armor was superheated by the boiling lava.

 _Neow_

His hand met the wave, but it didn't disappear right away in a glowing burst like most things. Instead the loud strum of what sounded like an electric guitar whenever his glyph shattered an attack rang increasingly louder until he thought his eardrums would burst.

Dark smoke oozed out of the contact point between his hand and the wave and he began to fear it was actually going to overpower his glyph. He dug his feet further into the ground, knees buckling as the wave pushed back on him. Despite the wall being a viscous liquid, none of the edges around them caved in any further and instead appeared to bubble and contort in midair.

"Come on, Jauney Boy!" Cardin pushed on his back, stabilizing him and forcing his hand to push further into the wall of white. He wasn't sure how much longer his glyph could maintain this battle. The wraps around his left arm singed and burned away, exposing the peeling flesh beneath. Despite his best efforts, a strangled cry of pain escaped and once again he felt his legs begin to give.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouldn't have been in any better shape, yet despite that she pressed against him too, the radiating heat off her armor searing into his back and side. If something didn't give in the next couple seconds, it was possible they were going to get cooked alive just trying to fight off this burning wall.

He needed his other glyph. Maybe with the power of both, he could fight this. There were still eleven seconds until its cooldown reset. They would be lucky if they lasted another five.

At ten seconds left, he felt the glyph on his right-hand surge and react. That shouldn't have been possible. Yet he could see it glowing beneath the wraps of his other arm. Without wasting another second, he slammed that hand forward and on top of the first.

 _Neow_

As his glyphs energy combined, black tendrils began to snake out along the wave, spider-webbing across the white energy like veins under the skin. As they reached the edges of the attack, they began to recede, pulling the white with it. Before their very eyes, the wave shrunk and rescinded into the glyphs of his hands. In only a matter of seconds, it vanished completely and all three of them stumbled forward, collapsing to their knees.

Jaune gasped desperately for air, relishing in how cool it felt entering his lungs now that there was no longer something searing it all around them. The ground in front of them was seared away, leaving a six-foot drop-off from where the attack had been halted and separating them from a stunned Joan.

The black veins that had once covered the white wall trailed halfway up his arms, and he could feel them pulsing and writhing underneath his skin as if dozens of tiny worms had dug their way into his body. If that didn't feel agonizing enough, the skin on his arms was still blistered and bleeding, Aura working hard at healing it but not nearly fast enough.

"Holy shit…" Cardin's weight which had once supported him now felt like little more than a burden as the bigger man leaned on him. "...did we just survive?" It certainly looked that way. Not that he had any idea how.

His glyph. It had activated ten seconds early. Unless he miscounted his seconds. No, he refused to consider that as a possibility. Uncle had drilled that into him since the very first day of training. Learning to keep a steady, rhythmic count no matter the situation. But if his counting wasn't off, what had happened?

There were only two possibilities. Either something about being so close to all the Shatter Glyph energy had triggered it early. Or his glyphs were getting stronger. If it was the latter, was that because he had broken two swords? Unfortunately, he really didn't have the time to think about that right now.

"...Noir." A familiar name escaped Joan's lips and he looked up in shock. Her eyes were glued to the black veins pulsing under his arms. The surprised look on her face was beginning to twist into an enraged snarl as she bit her bottom lip so hard it began to bleed. "It's exactly like I thought. You can't be allowed to live, no matter what. For our sake, I will kill you right here and now!"

She once more held up the sword and to his absolute horror, it was still oozing with the same white lava as before in such vast quantities that it continued to spill off the edges. "...That is not good." Pyrrha mumbled unhelpfully next to him.

"You can stop it again, right?" Even if he could, he didn't exactly want to go through that unusual burning torture again. And only ten seconds had passed so his glyphs still had twenty seconds left before they reset… or was it only another ten? It really seemed like the rules were changing very rapidly since this battle began.

"I've got a better idea." Jaune pushed up to his feet, grabbing both their hands as he did. Joan swung Crocea Mors and another unearthly wave of lava sprayed towards them. "Run!" He didn't even wait for them to fully get to their feet before yanking them along.

Only a second later and the spot they were in was melted away as the lava splashed and burned, spreading flames to anything it got near. "Get back here!" He didn't even dare turn around to see if Joan was giving chase. Seeing how angry she was, for reasons he still didn't understand, he had no doubt she was anyways.

"This was not part of the plan!" Cardin ripped his hand free from Jaune's grip but continued to keep pace with him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the orange-haired man constantly checking behind them.

"We're moving onto plan B!" It wasn't like he had counted on any of this happening. Seriously, why did he have to be the first one in history to actually try to break these damn swords?

"We have a plan B?" Pyrrha raised a fair question.

"...I'm working on it."

"You're working on it!?" He had no idea why they sounded so surprised. If he had a plan B before this he would've told them already. He came after Crocea Mors first because she was supposed to be the easiest sword to break.

"Where do you think you're going, huh?" The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as Joan's voice came from directly above them. They all craned their heads to see Joan skipping higher and higher using her barriers to hold her aloft like platforms.

With a light skip, she pointed the sword down and another fountain of the white lava rained upon them. "Scatter!" He didn't even realize it was him that shouted that word until he crashed onto the ground in a haphazard dive. The falling glob struck and bounced, spraying droplets of searing death in every conceivable direction.

By sheer-dumb-luck, none of the drops hit him directly, but even the ones that came close burned right through his Aura. As he stumbled back to his feet, he looked around desperately in search of his companions. "Pyrrha! Cardin!"

"You don't have time to worry about others!" Joan descended right towards him, flailing another downpour right on top of him. He extended both hands and they glowed a white equal in brightness to the lava attack.

 _Neow_

Both charges activated at the same time, the black veins once again stretching out and covering the whole pool of energy before pulling it back into him. The second it was done he turned and ran. He still didn't know where Pyrrha and Cardin were, but Joan was going to come after him before them, so as long as they kept their distance, they would be safe.

"Jauney Boy!" A street over he heard Cardin's yell, even as he skipped to the side and barely dodged another volley of lava.

"Cardin! I can hear you!" He yelled back, trying to find some small alley or gap between the buildings to get over to him.

"Just keep going straight!" Cardin's voice was keeping pace with him, meaning they were running in the same direction. "I found plan B!" He _found_ it? Jaune had a sinking feeling in his gut that he wasn't going to be a fan of this plan one bit but with no better options, he did as Cardin instructed.

He ran straight into an open intersection and paused for a brief second to take in his surroundings. Just ahead of him were the train tracks leading out of the city, and now that he could see it, he had gotten much closer to the wall than he thought he had been. A loud whistle blew to his right, and he turned to see a train picking up speed as it raced forward. Inside it were numerous terrified occupants trying to escape the destruction befalling their town.

If he continued running forward he risked dragging all them into this battle. And there was no sign of Cardin to tell him if this was far enough yet or not. "Finally done running?" He grimaced before slowing turning back around to face his twin.

She stood ten feet in front of him, shield held up and the tip of the sword pointed at his chest. In its old state, she might have been able to shoot a straight beam through him. As the sword was now, he doubted the energy was stable enough for her to accomplish such a feat, which was why she hadn't already done so.

Twenty seconds passed since he last used the glyphs and he could feel them recharge and begin to resonate with the sword. They really were on a more permanent cooldown. Now if only he didn't have to burn both charges at once just to counter Crocea Mors' current ability.

"You said Noir earlier… what were you talking about?" As he tried to buy time, the train began to pass behind him. If he tried to dodge out of the way, her next attack might really hit the people inside. More than that, he was genuinely curious about her words. What did the creator of the swords have to do with all this?

"It's of no relevance to a dead man." Joan snarled as she began to lift her sword. Damn, she wasn't going to take his bait which also meant he wasn't going to get any answers. The only choice left to him was to try and stop the attack before she unleashed it then. Even if the sword was glowing with energy, he should still be able to break it if he just made contact. He leaped forward, only to run smack into one of Joan's barriers. She had already counted on what he was going to do.

"Take this!" Before Joan could bring the sword down, Cardin sprinted out from the cover to her right. Her eyes widened as she quickly tried to backpedal away from him, bringing her closer to Jaune. She just barely managed to hold her shield up as Cardin swung it forward with both hands.

The mace impacted the shield and the fire dust crystal inside ignited, creating an explosion that knocked Joan off her feet and sent her flying clear over Jaune's head. And right towards the train.

With a loud crash, she broke through the window and disappeared inside. Jaune didn't really feel like he was able to comprehend what happened even when Pyrrha landed next to him, wrapping him in what felt like a tight hug. "Hang on, Jaune."

Only too late now did he realize exactly what plan B was. "Aw… shi-" Pyrrha launched them both airborne, taking control of the metal armor she was wearing with polarity to guide them after his twin. They ducked their heads just before crashing through the windows of the next train car over from where Joan had gone through.

Loud and terrified shrieks echoed all around them as they landed unceremoniously in a heap of tangled limbs on a thankfully unoccupied seat. Glass shards rained down upon them but bounced pointless off their Aura. As Pyrrha pulled them both to their feet, the train bumped and rocked as it passed by the gate and took them out into the farmlands surrounding Kessel.

A very nauseating series of bumps and rocks if you asked Jaune, who already felt his stomach churning angrily in protest. "I _do not_ like plan B…" He groused just as the door connecting to the car in front of them slid open with a loud bang. The shrieks of terror were even louder than before as more people flood into the room in an obvious attempt to get away from his twin.

"Come on, Jaune." Pyrrha pulled him forward, which was no easy feat as everyone around them fought to go the opposite way. "We can't let her kill anyone on this train."

"There wouldn't be anyone to get killed on the train if you guys hadn't rocketed her up here in the first place." Pyrrha ignored his bitter tone as they finally broke free of the throngs of people and made it into the next car.

It was already completely empty, save for one occupant who stood in the middle. Stood wasn't exactly the right word. It would be more accurate to say she was leaned on the nearest chair, eyes bulging and one hand cupping her mouth. "You…" She barely managed to get these words out without heaving. "I'll kill you…"

"It's over, Crocea Mors." Pyrrha strolled forward, unlike the two of them, not the least bit affected by the movement of the train. "You can't fight the both of us like that."

"Just watch me." Joan snarled as she almost drunkenly swung the sword, staggering and barely maintaining her balance in the process. It was enough though as a burst of white lava surged forward and covered the ceiling and walls of the train, melting through it and splitting the car in half.

Almost immediately their end began to slow down as it was separated from the other half, a gap opened between them. Jaune and Pyrrha shared only a brief glance before sprinting forward. It took every fibre of his being to stuff down the impending nausea as he ran full force on an already moving vehicle. If it wasn't for the adrenaline coursing through him he was positive he would've lost what little content he had left in his stomach.

They reached the end and at the same time gave a mighty leap in order to cross the increasing distance between the halves of the train. Jaune made it without a problem, but a loud gasp by Pyrrha echoed left of him as she ran smack into one of Joan's barriers. She collapsed backward and fell towards the chasm. "Pyrrha!"

He landed in a stagger and couldn't recover nearly in time to aid the falling champion. He could only watch in horror as her body flew right towards the tracks beneath them where she would be run over not even a second later. Aura or no Aura, the train would slice through her like ribbons.

Just a split second before she hit the ground and Pyrrha stopped mid-flight as she caught herself by her own armor. Using polarity, she then flung herself back up and onto the other side of the split car.

"I'm okay!" She shouted back to him as she stumbled to her feet, the dismay evident in her eyes. The gap had widened far too much for her to make the jump anymore, even if aided by her Semblance.

He was on his own.

"Just you and me, glyph bearer." Joan grinned cheekily before the train gave another rock. This time, it was too much for her and she gave a horrible heave, spraying a sickly looking combination of colors all over the floor. Just watching it made his stomach turn over and he felt like he might do the same at any second.

He stumbled onwards regardless, leaving Pyrrha and the other half of the train behind him as he aimed to end this while Joan was distracted. "Get away from me!" Spittle and vomit flung from her normally beautiful face as she discharged yet another blast at him. He lunged towards it and caught the wave with both hands.

 _Neow_

His glyphs once again did their work and adsorbed the stolen energy, the black tendrils expanding and retracting back with it. Twenty seconds until he could use them again.

To his relief, after that blast, Crocea Mors pittered only a couple more droplets of the lava before it stopped altogether. It had finally run out of what energy the shield had absorbed. Her attention diverted to the sword for a split second and in that second he crossed the remaining distance between them.

He jumped over her vomit and tackled into his twin, stumbling her back into one of the chairs. He gripped the wrist hanging the sword with one hand while she tried to push him away with the shield.

As they struggled for control, she lashed out with a knee, catching him in the gut. Which was the last straw for his worsening condition and he finally lost the contents of his stomach… all over her Beacon uniform.

"You disgusting little-" Joan shrieked in horror. His grip weakened and he lost ground as the vomit burned his throat and caused his eyes to tear up. She bashed him back with the shield and he stumbled off her, stepping right onto the puke she emptied to the floor.

With a loud, undignified scream he slipped and fell, landing painfully on his back. "Oh…" He groaned, still not able to see through the tears. Hurriedly he wiped them away just in time for Joan to step over him, sword held high.

She swung down and his foot lashed out, catching her in the back of the knee. With a small grunt, she crumpled down on top of him and he managed to catch her wrist with an elbow. The blade of Crocea Mors flew from her grip and landed several feet past his head, just at the edge of the train.

He let his gaze linger on it a second too long as Joan battered him in the side of the head with the shield. His vision flashed white and it refocused just in time to see her bringing the shield back down. He caught the shield with one hand and her elbow with the other. Just like how his uncle had taught him, he found the mechanism latch and turned the shield back into a sheath.

When it transformed it fell off her arm and he spun it around before tossing it up on a chair just outside both their reach. He expected her to leap for it, instead, her free hand came barreling down and struck him in the nose, sending the back of his head once more colliding with the floor.

Once again his vision flashed white and before it could return he felt ten thin fingers wrap around his throat. Joan began to squeeze, cutting off the oxygen to his lungs and crushing his windpipe.

Was his twin always this strong? Her spindly digits felt like hot irons against his throat as he lost all the strength in his body. Legs flailed and kicked in an attempt to pick himself up and hoist her off, but she remained pressed on his gut, pushing down with all her body-weight.

His hands reached for her wrists in a vain attempt to pull them off. He could feel them begin to resonate with the sword as twenty seconds passed. The only thing he had to do was crawl towards the blade and shatter it. That was the only thing he had to do.

Yet he could barely even move his legs anymore, outskirts of his vision fading black. His twin was going to murder him, choke him out while he lay on her vomit. What a disturbing way to die.

 _Screech_

With a violent crash, the whole train shook and Joan was thrown off of him. He sucked in air with such fever he thought he might choke on it as a loud gasp escaped his lips. The darkness around the edge of his vision crept back as he stumbled to his knees, turning around to make a dash for the sword.

It still lay there, just on the edge of the train, but beyond it now was the separated other half of the car that got left behind. It was hot on their tail, the gap narrowing by the second. And Pyrrha was still on it, eyes squeezed tight in focus and lips curled in a concentrated snarl. The detached train-car was racing forward, the wheels being turned by the power of her Semblance.

"What a persistent bitch…" As Joan tried to get back to her feet she gave another heave and once again sent puke spraying over the floor.

This was his chance to break the sword. Leaning on the chair for support he got back to his feet. "I'm not dying here, Jaune!" Joan yelled as she dove for him, colliding into his back and nearly sending them both crashing to the floor.

"This is goodbye, Crocea Mors." Jaune elbowed her in the gut just as Pyrrha crashed the two ends of the train together again. Joan was once again sent stumbling backward. Pyrrha leapt in the air, having anticipated the impact this time. As she hung suspending briefly in the space between both ends she whipped Akuo, the shield aimed right at Joan. It struck the stumbling blonde in the chest and sent her collapsing to the ground.

Pyrrha then landed right next to the blade, flipping it up with the toe of her boots and sending it right to Jaune's extended hand.

He caught it by the hilt and the whole sword began glowing a bright white. This time, he could see the black tendrils from before crawl all over the blade. It was almost imperceptible, but having seen it happen on the bigger waves, it was impossible to miss now.

 _Neow_

To his left, he saw the shield begin to glow and pulse as well. Then as if the two were of one entity they shattered apart at the same time, creating thousands of tiny little light fragments that spread around him and Pyrrha like stars in the sky.

Like the last two times, he couldn't help but freeze and just admire the beauty of them, as strange as it was the idea of any beautiful being created by the swords, especially in their death. Even Pyrrha appeared enraptured by them until the last one blinked out.

As it vanished, time seemed to resume and he could once more hear the rushing wind as the train continued to race ahead, no regard for the open hole its rear. He could also feel the searing pain in his arms, and bruising neck. Not to mention the motion sickness return in full force as his stomach churned angrily. "Uhh… Pyrrha, can you stop this thing?" She had managed to detach the other half of the car from its section of the train. He really hoped she could do the same with this one.

"Oh, yes. Of course." Pyrrha nodded, closing her eyes and standing completely still for several seconds before giving a small wave of the hand. With an audible click, their car detached from the rest and it began to slow steadily to a stop.

As it did, they both ran up to Joan, Pyrrha's nose wrinkling as the disgusting smell of their mixed vomit wafted up and surrounded them. "...My bad." Jaune admitted sheepishly as he gently lifted his sister up by the back of the head.

Pyrrha gently caressed her cheek with a hand. When she woke up, she would be their Joan again. His twin and her partner. "It's okay…" The champion nearly choked as tears welled in the corner of her eyes. "...She's back with us now. And she's safe. Nothing else matters."

"She and I could really use a bath, though." He chuckled as the train finally rolled to a stop. "Gotta get back to town and finish this first, though." He looked at her expectantly, only to find she was unwilling to meet his gaze. "...What's wrong?" He had a bad feeling about this.

"I used all my Aura to propel the other part of the train here. I am pretty much running on fumes at this point." Okay, that was fine… so they just had to walk was all.

He looked out into the vast darkness of the Grimm infested Forever Fall Forest that stood between him and his sisters. Just one guy with no Grimm combat experience, an exhausted Huntress-in-training, and an unconscious girl. How far had this train taken them again?

"This... isn't going to be fun, is it?"

"Not at all."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Three swords down. Four to go.

RIP Crocea Mors, the only Canon sword amongst the group. Although, if we're being real, I seriously doubt if Crocea Mors had a personality in Canon it would be anywhere near as much of a bitch as she was in this story. Not to mention I gave it an ability that it obviously doesn't have. I remember debating for some time what to do with Crocea Mors in terms of its power since in the show it just appears to be a normal sword and shield. I couldn't leave it as such, after having given the other swords such fantastical powers and in the end decided to make use of both parts of it.

Its ability was actually based off of the initial release form of Shusui Kyoraku's Zanpakuto from the Japanese Manga, Bleach. Just in case you were wondering.

So we've got another special omake by a guest author. This one is written by The Spookiest of Noodles. This is actually his second attempt at writing one for this story. Apparently I was rather callous in rejecting his first omake submission, but like a real trooper he didn't give up and instead tried again, and this time... he succeeded! At least, he met my standards. Hopefully, it meets yours too and you enjoy it.

* * *

 **Guest Omake**

 _Cooking Class_

Written by The Spookiest of Noodles

* * *

Before Rouge lay her mortal enemy. Well, they weren't really enemies. She supposed they might have been enemies if she had cared a little bit more about all of this.

Rouge was an intelligent girl. She read a lot of books. Books were nice; they couldn't lie, or cheat, or steal, they simply were what they were. They had information and passed it on to whoever took the time to read them. There was nothing Rouge loved more in the world than books and her family.

However, Rouge was never particularly interested in one type of book: cookbooks. She didn't really hate them, they were just boring. When she read a philosophical treatise, or a scientific discussion, or a work of fiction, they all had something personal about them. The author had placed a tiny sliver of her soul into the work, but with cookbooks… it was more like a scientific procedure.

She could appreciate the beauty of cooking, how it could combine the schools of science and art so beautifully, it just never interested her.

"Rouge?!" Her head jerked up and her vision was filled with annoyed indigo. "Did you hear anything I just said?" She shook her head, the familiar weight of her pigtails bouncing to either side. Olivia closed her eyes, and her hand went up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Rouge had started to see Autumn do that a bunch more nowadays.

"Look, I know you don't really find this interesting, but cooking is something we should all know how to do, even if it's just the basics. All of us can cook, even Jaune, and he's a boy."

A disgruntled 'Hey!' reached them from the living room.

"I'm sorry, Olivia. I just fail to see the practicality. As you said yourself, all of you know how to cook. We have nine cookers, including Jaune and father under this roof."

"Rouge, 'cookers' isn't a… nevermind." Olivia pinched the bridge of her nose again. "Look, just… give it a go? For me, okay?"

Rouge was apprehensive. She had tried to cook things before, without Violet as her instructor, but things hadn't exactly turned out well. A word floated to the forefront of her twelve-year-old mind: 'Disastrous' But Oliva just looked so hopeful… she couldn't be the one to crush it.

"Very well. I shall do as you ask."

A triumphant grin lit up her sister's face. "Excellent!" She bent down to a cupboard, pulling out a medium-sized pan. "Could you grab some eggs from the fridge and the bottle of oil from that cupboard?" As she moved to the stove, her finger pointed to a low cupboard opposite where she had retrieved the bakeware.

After getting all the food together, Olivia, hands on her hips, chest thrust out in determination and pride, and Rouge, hands at her sides, eyes meandering back towards the living room and the possibility of having Jaune read to her, stood together in front of the warming pan on the stove, eggs and oil off to one side.

"Now, Rouge, we're going to make fried eggs. Simplest breakfast food on the planet, you can't mess it up."

"That's what Violet said about the toast."

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

Olivia showed her how to pour the oil, to crack the egg and make sure that none of the shell got into the pan. She seemed to do all of it so gracefully.

When Rouge tried on her side of the pan, the oil made contact with Olivia's frying egg and sputtered hot oil onto her hand. Then several pieces of shell had fallen with the egg into the pan.

Olivia Arc was not one to explode. She eyed one of the shell pieces in the pan and fought valiantly to prevent herself from diving in and fishing it out with her fingers. After all, her fingers would get covered in egg white. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let it out, lids fluttering open again to meet two curious yellow eyes. She smiled at her younger sister… and then the yolk broke.

Smile beginning to strain, Olivia said, "It's alright, we'll start out with a dead one, and a running one."

"What does that mean?" Rouge's mind was a-spinning with visions of Olivia's egg jumping up and running for the hills while a small funeral procession paraded around her catastrophe.

"Um… Well…" Olivia wasn't sure how to put it in the right terms, like words that were actually in the dictionary. There was a sudden commotion as Ciel sprinted through the kitchen, Autumn hot on her heels screaming something about her scroll.

"Running means gooey and dead means stiff." She wasn't sure how she had heard her, but at least she had answered the question. Rouge gave a cheerful wave as the two flew into the next room.

"Ah, so 'dead' means cooked to a state where the yolk is largely solid, and 'running' means that the yolk still retains some of its fluidity."

"Really, Rouge, sometimes you talk like a dictionary. And Ciel says I'm stiff." Olivia moved to grab the salt and pepper, but she stopped when she saw Rouge's eyes go wide. She held her hands out and shook her head, her tails flopping widely.

"I am sorry! I do not mean to sound condescending or pre-te-tious."

Olivia laughed and ruffled Rouge's hair, almost the same way Jaune did. Almost.

"It's alright baby girl. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just get the idea that you're trying to impress us by using a bunch of big words." She hugged Rouge close, and her fingers rubbed circles around one of the bunches of red hair. "You don't have to impress anyone."

Rouge gave her a squeeze. "I understand." All too soon, she pulled away. Something foul reached Olivia's nose.

"Oh no! Grab the fire extinguisher!" She dove for the stove-top, eyes wide at the small fire that had started.

Rouge just sighed. Some things never changed. A smile tugged at her face as she heard Violet enter the battle of the kitchen and the fire extinguisher went off.

Some things never should.

* * *

 **The Spookiest of Noodles: Technically, before I added this A/N, it was 999 words, so I still met the requirements... right... Cyndaquil?**

 **Anyway, yes: It's a little long, but I hope you enjoyed this anyway. Cyn callously rejected my previous attempt at an omake, he mentioned that Rouge was apparently a terrible cook. Now, I didn't exactly show much of that in this, but it still had that wonderful acceptance/family vibe that Cyndaquil seems to like, so I hope it works anyway.**


	30. Yang vs Ciel

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Yang vs Ciel_

* * *

"What's the matter, you little dagger, scared!?" Yang grinned triumphantly as her fist drove through an ice Ursa twice her size.

The already melting animated pseudo-Grimm collapsed apart all around her, raining droplets of water down that evaporated immediately upon touching her glowing golden hair. Fire roared off her back and she caught a brief glimpse of blood-red eyes in the ice's reflection before it broke.

Right now, she really didn't feel like she could lose. Sacred Arc Sword or not, fully trained Huntress or not, this chick was going down.

"Don't get cocky, brat!" For the first time since their battle began, Ciel had both hands out of her jacket pockets and the dull, almost bored expression had transformed to one of frustrated anger. She waved the dagger and a wall of ice sprout in front of her, contorting and taking the shape of some new Grimm creation she planned to bring to life.

A yellow glyph created by Weiss formed beneath Yang's feet, the hands of a clock spinning rapidly in its design. Time slowed to a crawl as Yang's perception of it skewed. She fired both gauntlets at the ground and launched forward.

"Ha!" With a loud yell of exertion, she destroyed the ice Ciel was forming before it could even properly take form, let alone allow her to bring it to life. Time slipped back to normal as she lost the glyph's temporal boon.

The blue-haired woman sucked in a breath as her purple eyes widened in surprise. Yang merely gave a playful wink as her other fist swung forward. The air around them froze solid, the blonde's Semblance battering back the flash-freeze without even flinching. Ciel twisted and ducked, barely dodging the wild haymaker before skating backward over the virtual ice rink her flash-freeze had generated.

Yang didn't even hesitate to stroll forward, despite being a terrible ice skater, because with every step she took the ice around her feet melted away and she merely splashed up warm water. For just a split second, she could've sworn she saw a glimmer of fear flash across Ciel's eyes.

"How does it feel?" Yang called tauntingly, relishing in the fact that it was her that had struck such a feeling in one of the seven most powerful weapons in existence. Well, her and Weiss together… but mostly her.

Ciel snarled darkly, wavy blue hair partially obscuring her face. "...If you think just because you can melt a little ice that makes you hot stuff, then I'm about to give you a rude awakening." The older woman didn't take a single step back as Yang casually crossed the last few feet separating them, stopping just short of bumping their ample chests together.

"Is that so?" Fiery red eyes bore into cool violet. Neither one of them so much as twitched a finger as each waited for the other to make the first move. She could feel cold air battering at the tip of her nose and locks, even as the heat radiating off her own Semblance pushed back and heated Ciel's cheeks.

Off in the distance, a gunshot echoed. As if that was the starting mark, both girls sprung into action at once. Yang swung her right arm forward with a loud yell while Ciel angled the tip of the dagger to meet it.

As they collided, ice sprout from the dagger and encompassed Yang's arm and keeping Ember Celica from discharging. "Wha-" She couldn't even finish that exclamation as Ciel pulled back and she stumbled forward as the increased weight unbalanced her.

Ciel twirled the dagger and brought it high. "Yang!" Before she could bring it down, Weiss flipped over them, landing upside down on a glyph she had placed in the air. Ciel skipped backwards and dodged as Weiss launched straight down, thrusting at the floor. "You alright?" Weiss didn't push the advantage, as she instead created another red glyph beneath them, adding more heat for Yang's Semblance to absorb.

"I'm fine." She punched at that ice encasing her arm and shattered it apart. What the heck just happened? She had no problem melting the ice before it could even form before now. So why hadn't it and how had she been able to freeze her arm while she was protected by all this radiating heat?

"I really hate having to put this much effort into anything." Ciel held the dagger up and twisted it horizontally. "But if I really put my mind to it, there's no way I can't generate ice faster than you're able to melt it. For example… I can even do this."

As if it magically appeared before their eyes, a Death Stalker twice as big as the one they faced back in Initiation formed in front of them. Yang blinked, and then blinked again. It wasn't a trick of the light, it had quite literally spawned from seemingly thin air.

The joints of the Death Stalker cracked and bent as it came to life with the aid of Ciel's Semblance. It lifted both pincers high into the air before smashing the ground, rupturing the pavement and sending chunks of concrete flying at the two Huntresses-in-training.

"Damn it…" Yang dug her heels deeper into the ground as she swung Ember Celica forward in a flurry of punches, each one discharging shots that blasted the concrete hunks into harmless pebbles.

The last one broke apart but she didn't let up on her assault, launching her exploding shells at the ice Grimm beyond it. Multiple sparks of red burst off its exterior, yet it didn't even look like she put a dent in it, let alone melt even a small fragment of it away.

The spiny legs of the Death Stalker clacked loudly over the ground as it began to charge towards them, large tail swinging back and forth, destroying the walls of the buildings on either side as it did. Weiss created black glyphs beneath herself and Yang and the two of them leapt forward, meeting the Pseudo-Grimm halfway.

Yang landed on the right side of the Grimm, unleashing a vicious series of blows that glanced off it without even the slightest crack. On the other side, she could hear Weiss give her own cry of exertion as she continuously jabbed at it.

A shadow loomed overhead and Yang skipped backwards, just barely dodging the stinger, only to get struck in the side by the pincer. "Gah!" She cried in pain as she flew into the side of a building, crashing straight through the brick exterior and rolling onto the carpeted floor, scattering broken pieces of debris all around her.

With a small shake of the head she stumbled back to her feet, briefly glancing at the scroll to check Aura levels. She was still in the upper yellow, but only thanks to her Semblance. Too many more hits like that and she would be finished. Not to mention it didn't look like even she was able to melt this Grimm.

"Weiss!" She shouted for her battle partner as she threw herself back into the fray, landing on the Death Stalker's back and unloading a couple more shells to no avail.

"What!?" The heiress yelled back, just barely dodging under the pincer and lashing out with a heated glyph.

"We're going to need something a little bigger!" She saw Weiss' eyes widen in understanding before she nodded and leapt away from the ice Grimm.

"Keep it busy!" Yeah, yeah. She already knew the drill. The stinger once more descended on her and she dove out of the way. To her growing frustration, even when it struck itself with its own stinger it failed to do any damage and just glanced off with a loud clack. As she hung suspended in midair, she caught a brief glimpse of Ciel standing behind the Death Stalker, hands in her coat pocket and smiling lazily.

Damn, she really had been holding back this whole time. Even though it shouldn't have been surprising, Yang couldn't help but be frustrated. She had actually thought she was holding her own against a full-fledged Huntress and one of the strongest swords in existence. In reality, she had been getting toyed with all along.

She landed nimbly on the ground with a slight bounce and skipped back just in time to dodge another pincer swing. Even discharging shells point blank right in the Death Stalker's face had no effect, not that she thought it would. It wasn't like this thing was actually alive, which made it more troublesome than any real Grimm ever was.

It scuttled to the side, tail lashing around. Yang bent backwards and barely dodged. Despite this thing's massive size, it was unnaturally agile and navigated the broken terrain with little difficulty. Meanwhile, it was all she could do not to stumble over every fissure or trip on the scattered debris.

That wasn't going to deter her though as she rained fire down upon the massive Grimm in retaliation. Explosions of red Dust glanced pointlessly off even the thin appendages it called legs. After every couple shots fired she had to duck or move entirely in order to avoid being crushed by one of its flurried counters.

 _Click_

As she dodged the latest pincer thrust Ember Celica made an empty click as she ran out of Dust shells. With a frustrated grunt she discharged the empty shells, backflipped through the air and whipped two more red ammo clips into the air. She stuck her arms out and the clips clicked into place as they wrapped around Ember Celica.

With a hard landing a dozen feet away from the Death Stalker she renewed her barrage, letting out a yell with every shot. The ice Grimm began to charge but stopped short after only moving a couple feet.

The ground shook as something equal in size to the Death Stalker stepped down just behind her. The blonde couldn't help but grin as she turned to see a giant suit of armor made entirely of light. It stood behind her menacingly, a massive blade slung over its shoulder as it almost appeared to glare down the Death Stalker through its darkened visor.

The Pseudo-Grimm got over its surprise, if you could even call it that, quickly enough and renewed its charged. The knight lifted the sword off its shoulder and stepped forward to meet it. They clashed with a loud bang, the sword meeting a pincer right overtop the blonde brawler's head.

The sheer force from their collision shattered windows a block over and Yang was forced flat to the ground by the wind pressure alone. She was pretty sure that she let out a loud groan, but her ears weren't working properly anymore, only playing a loud buzzing static that drowned out all other noise. The ground around her shook and rumbled, throwing her limp body once more back into the air, the world spinning before coming to an abrupt stop as she once more met with the hard earth.

Just on the outskirts of her vision, she could see a giant foot of light step down, only several feet short of turning her into a pancake. On the other side were the thin appendages of the Death Stalker.

Fingers clawed at the ground as she hoisted herself up to her knees only for another shockwave to send her tumbling back down. Damn it, she was getting tossed around like a ragdoll by these monstrosities and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

"Yang! Get up!" Barely over the static could she hear Weiss' yell as the heiress gripped her by the elbow and yanked her standing. The ground around them shook violently and this time, they both nearly fell, only managing to stay upright with one another's support. Hunks of earth and dust flew in every direction, making it almost impossible to see as the two giants traded blows around them.

As one mind, the two stumbled in the same direction to get out of the crossfire, holding onto each other like a lifeline. With as much grace the two of them could muster, they flipped over the side of a broken wall into what had once been the inside of a building. Now it was wide open, the starry sky easily visible above them and the once carpeted floor covered with pieces of the ceiling.

"You okay?" Weiss asked between gasps for breath. Despite how close she had come to getting crushed simply for being in the way, Yang couldn't help but let out a small snort of laughter.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. No thanks to your White Knight." She used the broken wall for support to pick herself up to her knees and peak over the top.

"Hey! At least I went out there to get you!" Weiss did the same, watching the strange spectacle unfold in front of them. The stinger lashed forward and the armor twisted to the side, dodging while swinging the sword from up high at the same time. It sliced into one the Death Stalker's arms and lopped it clean off, sending the appendage crashing to the earth.

Any normal Grimm would have recoiled from the pain of losing a limb, but the ice one didn't even flinch as it scuttled forward, tackling into the armor and sending it tumbling on top of a building across the street. The whole concrete structure collapsed, shaking the ground so violently that another small section of the wall they were leaning on crumbled apart.

Dust and dirt partially obscured the two fighting giants, making it difficult to tell if Weiss' summoned armor was able to recover or if the Death Stalker maintained superiority. "Ooh… this is pretty cool to watch. Almost like one of those old-school monster films."

"Heh, you said it." Yang agreed without thinking, only realizing something was amiss when she turned to see Weiss staring back at her with wide eyes. "That... wasn't you that said that, was it?" The Heiress shook her head.

"Come on now, I don't even sound like her." They both spun a hundred-eighty degrees at the same time to see Ciel standing right behind them. On instinct alone they both shrieked and lashed out with their respective weapons. Neither one of them even got close as a wall of ice stopped both their attacks mid-swing.

"Are the two of you ready to give up, yet?" Ciel's head popped up over the top of the wall, resting her elbows on the apex of it and just smiling down at them. "I told you at the very beginning that this was all pointless. Can't we just talk this out?"

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say." Yang cocked her fist back, prepared to discharge a shell right into Ciel's exposed face.

"You should be more thankful to me right now. You're only alive because I've continued to let you be." Yang stopped just short of swinging forward, not because of the words… but the dead serious tone in which she said them.

"T-that's a load of bull!" She rebutted quickly, more to convince herself than anything. These swords were liars and murderers. She had no reason to believe anything they said. "You've been trying to kill Jaune this whole time."

"Have I now?" Ciel gave a shake of the head and a disappointed sigh. "Again, and again, I keep offering to stop all these petty fights, yet no one is willing to listen to me. Even back at the bar, I tried to avoid all that commotion. If anything, you and Jaune survived that encounter because of me."

"...What are you saying?" Those were the exact words Yang had meant to ask, yet it hadn't been her that voiced them. She also knew for sure this time it hadn't been Weiss. As Ciel turned her head, the two Huntresses-in-training peeked around the ice wall to see Olivia standing just on the other side of the collapsed building. Her face displaying an odd combination of confusion and betrayal.

"Ciel, explain yourself right now!" She spoke again, this time in a much louder voice, brandishing her giant claymore and pointing it directly at the older Arc sister.

"Ah…" Ciel gave a long, drawn out sigh. "Now look what you went and made me do." She muttered just loud enough for Yang and Weiss to hear as she slid down the wall and faced her sister.

As interesting as this potential falling out was though, Yang wanted to know how Olivia had gotten here. Had Yatsuhashi and Ruby not found her or… before she could finish that thought, she saw Yatsuhashi crouching silently just on the other side of the wall behind Olivia. As their eyes made contact, he gave a short nod. For now, they were going to watch this play out.

"Look, Olivia." Ciel put both hands in her jacket pockets, standing almost relaxed and uncaring in stark contrast to her sister. "I don't know what exactly it is you want me to say. It should be pretty obvious what happened."

"We all agreed that the glyph bearer had to die… if we're going to have any chance of actually living our own lives, he has to go!" Olivia gestured dramatically as she yelled so loud her voice cracked.

"Yeah… you, Autumn, and Joan did want that. Here's the thing though… Violet can't have you all killing the Glyph Bearer ahead of schedule just because you decided to have a sudden selfish streak."

"So this whole time you've been working for _her!?_ You never even intended to actually try and kill him? Do you realize that Luteus Oblido and now Crocea Mors have died because of that?"

"...That about sums it up, yeah."

"Why?"

"Apparently you forgot exactly who I am. I _detest_ having to be bothered to do anything. Forget having to run around all over the world helping Violet and Amethyst on their mission. It was much easier to babysit the three of you and make sure you didn't botch anything up. Besides, it's way too much effort to have to try and go against Violet. Didn't you think it was odd that she just let us go without so much as lifting a finger? If she wanted it, she could've wiped the floor with the four of us."

"You bitch! We trusted you!"

"From my perspective, the three of you were the traitors in all this, not me. If you would've just kept quiet and did like Violet instructed, none of this would've happened."

"I was trying to save us!"

"You were trying to save yourself. Don't pretend like you actually give a damn about the rest of us."

"You…you don't deserve to have a human body!" Whatever was holding Olivia back snapped as she kicked off the ground, holding the claymore high above her head, as if she had every intention of splitting her sister in half.

"I could say the same about you." Ciel pulled the dagger out of her pocket and held it up defensively.

Yang's eyes met with Weiss' for a split second, only to see an equally perplexed look. What… exactly was the right move in this situation? Should they just let them fight it out? It would certainly be more convenient that way. By doing that, though, there was the possibility of one of them actually killing the other if this fallout was as bad as it looked. The whole point of this was to save Jaune's sisters, not sit back and watch them die.

Before anyone could make a decision, yet another new person arrived on the scene, seemingly teleporting between the two opposing sisters. Brandishing an open umbrella that stopped Olivia's claymore before it could split Ciel's head in half, the short multi-haired girl elicit a gasp of surprise from both Yang and Weiss.

She would recognize that pink and brown hair anywhere. She was that little twerp that had got in their way when going after Roman. Something was different about her, though. A strange, dark purple Aura hung around the outskirts of her whole body. And was she… floating?

Olivia appeared equally disturbed by the appearance of the short girl, face getting unnaturally pale as she took several shaky steps back. Before Yang was able to place the name, the midget morphed into a small purple ball that began to float upwards.

Every eye in the area followed it to a small section of the roof that hadn't collapsed. Perched on that section, looking down on them all were two women. The ball floated to the one with short purple hair, who was sitting with one leg folded and knee pressed against her chest while the other dangling off the ledge. Positioned between both legs was a black scythe that the purple orb disappeared into.

Next to her, standing tall with one hand on her hip and the other on the hilt of a sheathed katana, was a woman with a long purple ponytail.

"About time you two showed up…" Ciel ran a hand through her blue hair as she grinned up at them.

"Amethyst."

"Violet."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 25**

 _Feels Like Home_

* * *

Lily had to admit, she really kind of enjoyed this. Spending time in the home of the Arc family, that is.

Saying she was surprised would have been an understatement when Violet had offered her the chance to come stay with them over their extended weekend break. Lily had been trying for months now to get her estranged leader and partner to finally open up to her. To what honestly felt like no avail.

So when Violet's out of the blue offer came, Lily jumped at the opportunity. It wasn't like she exactly had any exciting plans over the short break Beacon was giving them. Not much point in returning to the orphanage she was raised at, and staying at Beacon by herself would've been boring.

Still, she also didn't expect Violet's family to be nearly this… exciting. She was, of course, aware that Violet had seven other siblings; six of them sisters, and one brother. She had the honor of meeting Jaune once before when Violet had pulled some strings to have him admitted for the Vytal Dance.

He was a sweet little guy, unlike his big sister he was timid and unsure of himself. She had at the time just chalked it up to being the only boy raised among seven sisters. Now… she realized how vastly different all of the Arc siblings were.

And nothing exemplified that more than the scene in front of her right now. All eight siblings had gathered in the Arc family living room, simply enjoying their evening by spending it in various ways. Lily sat at the edge of the room on a reclining chair, curled up into a ball as she watched them all.

Autumn and Ciel sat in front of the tv, playing some sort of fighting game, the younger of the two barely containing verbal rage as her character was caught in an endless combo being delivered by the older. Rouge lay by the fireplace on her stomach, nose deep in some book. Olivia scuttled around the room, constantly finding things to straighten and organize.

The twins sat in front of Amethyst, listening away as she strummed at an old acoustic guitar, its low gentle tune being overshadowed by all the other noise the others were making. It was a strangely serene scene. In a way, it reminded her of the chaos back at the orphanage, yet something about this felt warmer.

"Thank you for accompanying me back home." Lily's dog ear perked and twitched as she glanced up at Violet who stood next to the chair she sat in. Like her, she was watching over the younger siblings with a fond smile, an expression Lily had never seen her partner make.

"Don't mention it, partner." Lily grinned toothily as she pulled at the dirty-blonde bangs covering her brown eyes. "I'm pretty curious, though. What brought on the sudden invitation?"

Violet shuffled awkwardly back and forth on her feet for several short seconds before replying. "...I realize I haven't exactly been fair to you, these past few months." She swallowed hard before continuing. "You've been putting a great deal of effort into supporting me as the leader of the team. In fact, without your help… I don't think I would have been able to hold the team together."

Lily quirked an unseen eyebrow. In all the time she spent with Violet, she had never heard her speak in a way that remotely conceded any form of defeat. It was like she was seeing a whole new side to her this trip. "Is that your way of trying to say thanks?" Despite her best effort, her grin only got bigger much to Violet's clearly growing discomfort.

"Take my words any way you want." For anyone else it might have been hard to tell in the dim room, but Lily's faunus vision made Violet's light blush all too easy to see. "And don't think because I'm warming up to you a little means I've forgotten about that stunt you pulled at the Vytal Dance."

"You're still mad about that?" Lily giggled as she leaned up and over the chair, nudging Violet by the elbow. "Come on… I've apologized like a million times already... " Violet's arm moved like lightning, hand gripping Lily's so their palms were locked together before pushing down.

Lily let out a small yelp of surprise as her other hand flailed for something to grab onto. Violet's free hand caught her in the same grip as the first and supported Lily from falling backwards off the chair.

"Maybe once you apologize a million more." There was an almost playful spark in Violet's eyes, and a competitive smirk on her lips. Lily smirked back as she recovered and pushed back up, their arms spreading to the side as they tried to overpower one another.

Their friendly competition only lasted for about thirty seconds before a nervous cough from directly in front of them turned both their heads. Jaune stood there awkwardly, face flushed deep red and Amethyst's guitar strapped over his shoulder. "Uhh… hi, Lily."

It took considerable effort not to laugh at his greeting. "Hi to you too, Jaune." Instead, she returned it good-heartedly, giving him her warmest grin. If anything, the blush on his face got more pronounced.

"I-uhh… I wrote this for you. With Amethyst's help. She even taught me how to play the chord, although I might not be very good…" He fiddled his feet and eyes became transfixed with the ground, refusing to look at her anymore.

"Just play it already!" Ciel yelled from her spot in front of the tv and Lily realized every one of the sisters was now watching.

"A-alright! Here it goes, then." Jaune gave another nervous cough as he positioned the guitar and began strumming the small tune she had barely heard Amethyst practicing a few minutes ago. It was rough around the edges, and she noticed his fingers twitch and stumble sometimes, but the concentrated, serious look on his face displayed just how much effort he was giving to do this for her.

And the whole time she noticed his sisters silently enjoy his playing, some of them displaying it with little mannerisms, others not quite so subtlety.

After only a short minute, the tune came to an end and Jaune gave a shaky breath as he looked back up at her, eyes practically imploring for her input. She would have given him a standing ovation if she could, but seeing as both her hands were still locked with Violet's, that was a little difficult.

Instead, she settled for continuing to smile at him and tilting her head so her bangs slid to expose a brown eye, giving an exaggerated wink. "Thanks, Jaune. That was really sweet. Keep practicing and you'll have girls swooning."

He gave an embarrassed laugh at her praised and rubbed the back of his blonde hair. "I'm glad you liked it. I really wanted to do something special for your last evening here… I hope you'll come again, some day."

"He also has a huge crush on you!" Joan shouted from just next to Amethyst.

"Sis!"

"Seriously, he wouldn't quit talking about you since that time Violet snuck him off to Beacon for the dance," Amethyst added, getting several chuckles from most of the others.

Lily joined in with their laughter. "As long as Violet lets me, I'll be sure to swing back by." Which was definitely questionable judging by how hard Violet was squeezing her hands now. It was taking every muscle in her face not to cringe.

"Of course you can come back… Lily." Violet's smile was sickeningly sweet, voice promising absolute pain. Please, please don't let Goodwitch match them up for sparring matches like she usually did. If she by some miracle did manage to survive, she really did hope Violet would invite her back, though.

Her family was just so much fun.


	31. Forever Fall

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Forever Fall_

* * *

Pyrrha crouched low, the tip of her nose pressed against the bark of a tree. Just behind her, she could hear Jaune's restrained breathing and fallen leaves crunch beneath him as he kneeled.

The smell of red sap inside the tree assaulted Pyrrha's nose and caused her stomach to rumble. How long had it been such she had a proper meal? She supposed those sandwiches on the train ride over counted as at least something, but that seemed paltry in comparison to how much she'd been forced to run around today.

If not for the adrenaline and years of training coursing through her veins, she might have collapsed on exhaustion alone. And Jaune certainly couldn't be doing any better. Anything he had managed to eat was long regurgitated, emptied back out due to his extreme motion sickness. Not to mention he was lugging Joan around, the unconscious blonde draped over his back.

She had yet to hear a single complaint from him, knowing he probably wanted them to increase their pace, not slow it down. The others were still fighting right now. Jaune's other two sisters were back at Kessel, causing who knew what kinds of havoc. However, to let their fear and doubt control their movement was to invite the Grimm upon them.

If they ran straight through the forest at breakneck speeds, tripping over every little root and running face first into every branch, it would only be moments before the Grimm heard all the racket and cut them off. And the sounds of battle would only draw more Grimm. It was better, possibly even faster to move slowly and surely, drawing as little attention to themselves as possible.

In a way, the commotion at Kessel was actually beneficial to them right now. It was faint, but they could hear the sound of alarms wailing. And the overwhelming panic that surely permeated the atmosphere was drawing the Grimm closer to town, allowing them to travel with the flow, not risk going against it.

Just on the other side of the tree, Pyrrha could even now hear the sound of at least half a dozen Beowolves as they pawed across the ground, sniffing and growling as they went about. For some time now they had been moving steadily towards Kessel, not in an outright sprint, but gradually. She couldn't make heads or tails of their behavior, not that anyone ever fully understood the Grimm.

She just thought they would make a mad dash for civilization, not meander and stop to smell the roses. It was possible, she supposed, that some instinct told the Grimm that the three of them were nearby, and that was the cause behind their hesitance. As inconspicuously as possible, Pyrrha tilted a single green eye around the trunk of the tree. Never more than now did she curse the head adornment as the golden chains rattled in her ears. It was almost impossible to see with what little moonlight scattered below the canopy, but she could at least distinguish the outline of the Beowolves.

Two of them were close, alarmingly so. Close enough that their hot breath misting in the cool evening air was visible as it reflected off the moonlight. Making only the slightest amount of movement, Pyrrha placed the palm of her hand around Milo, feeling its cool metal through her leather gloves. Every muscle in her body felt tense, coiled tight and ready to explode outwards if one of the Beowolves took even a step closer.

In the distance there was a howl, causing the other Beowolves to stop and shift, most of their ears perking as they turned towards the source. Pyrrha nearly jumped out of her skin and she heard Jaune suck in a breath. It was just the break they needed as the pack in front of them fled, paws scampering and crunching against the leaves beneath them. In only a matter of seconds, their presence vanished entirely as the sounds faded into the distance. Pyrrha released a shaky breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding and Jaune gave a relieved laugh.

"Let's go." Pyrrha pushed off the tree and slipped around it. She set forward in a brisk walk, upper body tucked low as if it would somehow make herself more invisible, hand still resting on the hilt of Milo. Jaune's footfalls were loud, doubly so because of the extra weight he carried on his back. Every crunch of the leaves or snap of a branch she feared would set countless Grimm upon them.

In her heart, she knew it was an inevitable truth; from the very first moment since they got off that train they were going to have to fight the Grimm at one point or another. There was just no way around it. Yet for some reason, she had been under the impression that she would see the attack coming. Or at the very least would hear it. She was a champion, after all. Regarded to be among her grade almost without peer. Never once in her life had a Grimm got the jump on her. She had also never been this far away from a Kingdom proper, in the middle of the night, Aura nearly exhausted. So when the attack came, she was not nearly as prepared as she felt she should've been.

There was almost no warning. Just the nearly inaudible rustling of leaves. At first, it hadn't even crossed her mind as out of place. It was only when she took a second to think that the rustling wasn't caused by the wind, or someone stepping down, but rather something slithering across the ground, did she realize her mistake.

And by that point, it was too late.

Pain surged up Pyrrha's right leg as something large bit down on her. The world spun and the sensation of the ground left as whatever it was picked the redhead up and swung her through the air. "Pyrrha!" Jaune's cry overlapped with her own pained scream.

The Grimm released its hold on and her body flipped and flew, back colliding with the trunk of a nearby tree. A wretched gasp escaped her lips before it too was muffled when she hit the ground face first.

White hot pain coursed up the entirely of her leg, making it almost impossible to even think straight. Despite that, her body reacted on instinct alone, regardless of thought, allowing the constant training to guide it. As she applied pressure to her right leg, another gasp of pain tore from her throat as she collapsed back down.

Shakily, she reached down pressed a hand against her thigh. Thick wet blood soaked through her leather glove, leaving no question as to how serious the injury was. Aura was gone too. Which left her without its natural shielding and healing properties. Nevermind having enough to use polarity.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune's voice came from above as he skid to a stop on his knees. While still supporting Joan on his back, he offered a hand to the champion. Pyrrha's green eyes stared at the extended hand for several seconds. Behind Jaune, she could hear the sound of slithering again and eyes darted beyond him. In the writhing darkness of the forest, she could make out two sets of evil red eyes. One set appeared to be floating completely on their own, the other was placed atop the head of a white snake.

King Taijitu.

She looked back to Jaune's hand. Then up at the girl resting over his shoulder. Joan. Her sleeping face looked so peaceful, devoid of worries. They had gone through all of this just to save her. To bring her back alive. To once more be their Joan. She wasn't about to let something stop that now. Not when they were so close.

"Jaune. Run." She ignored his hand, leaning up against the trunk of the tree for support. Her leg convulsed and nearly buckled as she put pressure on it, but with grit teeth, she managed to fight through the pain.

"What? Pyrrha, I'm not going to leave you!"

"Run." Pyrrha took off Akuo and forced the shield into his extended hand. "Protect Joan. No matter what, you have to keep her safe."

"Py-"

"I'll join up with you, now go!" Pyrrha shoved him out of the way just as the two floating eyes lunged. She ducked as he stumbled out of the way. The outline of the black snakehead came into view as it crashed into the tree she had been using for support. With a powerful crunch, the Taijitu bit down and tore the tree apart. The top half of it collapsed sideways, branches snapping and breaking the whole way down before echoing across the forest with a low thud, further separating the champion from the twins.

"I'm coming back for you, Pyrrha! I'll find a safe place for Joan and I'll come back!" She could hear Jaune's voice fade as he vanished into the darkness.

"Sorry… Jaune." She mumbled under her breath, knowing he probably wouldn't be able to hear if she shouted anyways. "But no matter what, you can't come back." She stabbed the tip of Milo into the ground, using it as a crutch just to stand properly.

The black head of the snake was still crunching and spitting out pieces of bark, but the other had her in its sights, swaying back and forth gently and letting out a low hiss. Pyrrha responded to it by taking a limp step forward. That was all the provocation the white snake needed as it lunged, maw opening wide.

The champion pulled Milo out of the ground and shifted the weapon into its rifle mode, all while twisting sideways, dodging the snake's bite by a hair's breadth. As her injured leg crumpled, she fell against the neck of the snake, wrapping it in her arms and pointing the barrel of Milo against its throat.

She reached for the trigger. And pulled.

* * *

 _Bang_

Jaune skid to a hard stop.

That gunshot. It had to have been Pyrrha. What was she thinking? That had to have echoed for miles in every direction. Any Grimm within earshot would be converging on her location now.

Was that… what she wanted? It was as if she was telling him not to come back for her. By doing that, she was telling him that she had no intention of coming back with them. Sacrificing herself to make sure her partner made it back to safety.

Screw that.

Did she think that was going to make Joan happy? His twin had committed enough atrocities while under the influence of Crocea Mors. If she thought Pyrrha sacrificed herself for her on top of all that… not even he would be able to save her from the despair.

What could he do, though? Even if he did find a place to hide Joan where she would be safe, how was he supposed to help? He didn't know how to fight Grimm. This… this was the first time he had actually even seen a real, living, breathing creature of darkness.

They were horrifying. The long, gangly arms of the Beowolves, their sinister red eyes, and breath that reeked of rotting flesh. Fear had gripped his heart and frozen his legs stiff upon spotting such a creature of pure, unimaginable malice. His sisters fought these things? And on a daily basis?

It was only standing next to Pyrrha that had given him the confidence to continue forward. That and the girl on his back. The champion hadn't even blinked when she saw the Grimm. Instead cautiously moving ahead, steadily, unafraid. That same girl now drawing who knew how many more of those creatures to her, just so he could run.

His grip on the shield she forced into his hand tightened. Why had she given this to him? If she intended to draw all the Grimm to her anyways, she should've held onto it. If this was supposed to be some kind of memento to remember her by… he was going to chuck it back in her face.

Now wasn't the time to be worried about what he had and hadn't been trained for. He was a fighter, damn it! He had been trained to fight the most powerful swords in existence. What were the Grimm in the face of that?

One way or the other, he was about to find out. Sooner than he expected, as a deep guttural growl came from just behind him. Despite the tough act he had been putting on in his own head, every hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Muscles tensed so hard they locked in place, and it felt like he could spit up a whole lung at any given moment. The smell of dead flesh once more punctured his nose and caused his stomach to churn. If he hadn't already thrown up plenty already, that might have been enough to push him over the edge. Slowly, agonizingly so, he turned around a little at a time, at first just turning his neck and upper torso, legs lagging a couple ticks behind.

Standing on two hind legs, illuminated fully by the moonlight, was a tall black bear. It was an Ursa if he remembered the name correctly. Whether it was a minor or major, he never studied enough to know, but his money was certainly on major. This thing was huge, standing nearly two times over his head. Nasty, white bones protruded from its joints and back, and a white skull piece with disturbing red markings adorned its face.

Just what the Hell was he supposed to do against that? Unconsciously, his foot took a hesitant step back and the Ursa growled angrily. The noise wasn't loud or piercing, yet Jaune still felt his vision begin to swim and legs nearly buckle. Breathing became erratic as if his lungs were desperately trying to remember how to even properly take in oxygen.

He couldn't fight this thing. He would die. How anyone in their right mind thought they could take on these evil creatures was beyond him. He would take vengeful ancient swords over this waking nightmare any day.

A small groan in his right ear pulled him back to reality. That was right: Joan. He had to protect Joan. Not just her, but Pyrrha as well. He had to fight, no matter the odds. He never should have run from Pyrrha's side in the first place. Now he had to get back. Even if he had to get through this Ursa to do it. Stifling down his fear, and trying to make his legs feel like more than jelly, he took a low running stance.

The Grimm in front of him was big, so it was reasonable to assume it was slow. If worst came to worst, he still had Pyrrha's shield. The Ursa fell forward, front paws touching down with mighty thumps that shook the earth he was standing on. It was at that moment Jaune kicked off, racing towards the Grimm in a blur of yellow. It let out a loud roar, one that pierced Jaune right to the core, yet he didn't stop. He couldn't allow himself to stop.

The Ursa swung, far more quickly than should have been possible for its size. Jaune had never properly held a shield before, the only one he had ever been around being Crocea Mors. He merely imitated what he saw his twin do all the times he watched her practice. The claw struck the shield at an angle and glanced off the side, the force of its blow so hard Jaune's already aching hands went numb and started tingling. It was enough, though. Not even a second later and he skipped past the Grimm.

He had done it. Pyrrha only had to hold on for a little while longer. He would get back to her, surely. He would make up for having left her side. That was what he honestly believed. He never even got close. As he reached the first tree at the edge of the clearing, another claw lashed out from the darkness. The shield was already lowered back down by his waist and he couldn't possibly raise it quickly enough to block the attack, and he only saw it coming too late.

A strangled cry of pain tore from his lips as the claw buried into the left shoulder, spraying blood and toppling him over. Joan fell off his back and her unconscious body ragdolled across the grass and leaves.

Damn it, damn it, damn it! Jaune cursed mentally as he hoisted himself back to his knees. Stepping free from the darkness in front of him wasn't just one, but two more Ursa, exactly the same as the first. He hadn't even been confident about taking on one, but taking on three while they had him pincered…

The Ursa behind him roared and he spun around to see it raising its claw high, aiming to stomp down on Joan's head. Her Aura wasn't nearly as depleted as his, but even he wasn't confident she could take a strike like that without splattering her brains across the forest floor.

The image alone was enough to kick his body into overdrive. He dove for his twin, covering her body with his own and holding Pyrrha's shield above them both. The claw came down and with a loud clang, it met Akuo. The force alone was too much for Jaune's frail hand as it twitched and spasmed uncontrollably, losing grip on the shield. It fell to the ground on its side and began to roll away, toppling just outside his reach.

The leaves behind him crunched loudly as the other two Ursa charged. No time to gather his thoughts and just allowing instinct to once more take over, he wrapped both arms under his sister before diving to the side.

They hit the ground on his back and rolled several feet until crashing into the base of a tree. The Ursa proved relentless as they continued the chase, now all three of them in front of the two blondes.

Jaune grimaced, clenching his teeth so hard together he thought they might break. There was no choice left for him but to fight these Grimm. His arms were all but worthless, still burnt and sore from Crocea Mors' plasma attacks, the gash in his left shoulder making it almost impossible to even lift that one.

He jumped to his feet regardless, placing himself between the three towering monstrosities and his sister. Nothing would ever have to hurt her again so long as he was breathing. And he had no intention to stop breathing until he could say the same about all his sisters.

The first Ursa reached him, swinging its claw horizontally. Jaune ducked low, pivoting on his foot. As the wind-pressure from the slash passed overhead he twisted at the waist, uncorking his knee in a powerful spinning kick that connected with the Ursa's lower jaw.

The bear-like creature cried out in pain as it stumbled to the side. Jaune didn't even have the time to congratulate himself for actually harming a Grimm as the next two closed in on him. Their black arms flashed in a blur, nearly blending in with the darkness around them. He barely twisted out of the way of the first strike, but the second he had no choice but to block.

The side of the Grimm's arm meeting his own was what he imagined getting run down by a semi felt like. He could hear the bone beneath crack and snap and he was tilted horribly off balance, leaving him perfectly exposed for the second one to attack.

Its claw came down on his head and he crumpled to the ground in a heap. Red coated the right side of his vision and he was pretty sure he could feel something wet pooling under his chin and neck. The ground thundered violently as the Ursa stepped down around him, feeling even more pronounced now that he was stuck down here.

He tried to will his arms to move. Pick himself back up. No response. He could feel his legs twitch and buck as they scrabbled to get a firm grip on the ground. But without the support of his arms, it was a lost cause.

How pathetic. After everything he had been through, this was how he was going to die? To some freaking Grimm? Not even a lot of them. He hadn't even completed his life's purpose yet. He still had to help his sisters. He still had to help Yang find her mom.

The hot, rank breath of an Ursa beat down on him as one of the creatures sniffed at him, checking to see if he had even managed to survive that last attack. He glared up at it, blue eyes meeting with empty red. Those beady, soulless orbs blinked and narrowed as the Ursa growled. It brought the top of its paw back up, prepared to finish him off for good.

As it swung down, Jaune didn't even blink. So he saw it happen as the Ursa's claw bounced backward pointlessly, a small golden shimmer glowing between him and it. "...Joan." His voice croaked out, the taste of copper strong on his lips.

With as much strength as he could, he turned his neck back to the blonde behind him. She was awake, upper body propped up on one elbow and the palm of her hand extended out. Her blue eyes weren't looking at him, instead glaring at the creatures around them.

"You… stay the Hell away from my brother!"

* * *

Joan's head felt like it was practically tearing itself apart. She had no idea where she was or how she got here.

Crocea Mors was gone. She couldn't find the sword or shield by her hip. It was hard to tell with the moonlight, but the grass and leaves looked distinctly red. Which meant they were somewhere in Forever Fall. Akuo lay fallen to the side, its owner nowhere in sight. And bleeding out in front of her was her twin, surrounded by three Ursa.

Her brain processed all this in a flash, the thoughts alone only adding further agony to the already torturous headache. She pushed past the pain, getting to her knees. The simple act caused her vision to swim and she feared she might black back out. If that happened, the barrier she erected in front of them would fall. And then Jaune would die. She absolutely could not allow that.

"...Joan." He repeated her name, the sound of his voice felt like a soothing balm that cleared her addled mind. She crawled forward, closing the distance between them. As she did, the three Ursa beat at the barrier, not even putting a scratch in it.

She paid them no mind as her hand stroked her brother's cheek, the touch of his cool skin calming her. Despite the horrible shape he was in, he still found the strength to smile at her. "Hey there, sis."

"I'm here… bro." She leaned closer, bumping her forehead against his, closing her eyes as their skin made contact. "I'm here," She repeated in a breathless whisper.

The familiar smell of blood and vomit became distinct and she opened her eyes back up to see she and he were covered in both. The Ursa continued to batter at the barrier, roaring angrily now, making conversation between the two nearly impossible.

Joan wrapped her arms under Jaune, picking him up and dragging him backward to the tree. As she leaned against its trunk, she pulled him up to rest his head against her chest. Even doing that was exhausting and it felt like she might fall asleep again at any second. The only thing keeping her awake was the need to maintain the barrier that kept them alive.

It would only be a matter of time before the Ursa figured out they could just walk around the side of it. Until that time, she just wanted to hold her brother. Her trembling hand gently stroked his blonde, blood-matted hair. "...We're in a pretty bad spot, huh?"

"I'd say so." Jaune gave a ragged breath that might have been a laugh. "I'm sorry. I didn't want… this to be the first thing you saw when you woke up."

"Or the last thing I'll ever see?" She had no idea how she was able to joke so lightly about this situation right now. It probably helped that this didn't even feel real. Almost like this was actually just a dream.

"Or that." He agreed with another broken laugh. "I guess it could be worse."

"Yeah. We could be covered in vomit and in the middle of nowhere, about to get our faces eaten by Grimm… oh, wait."

"We could be alone."

"... I suppose you're right." She leaned the top of her chin on his head. "I still don't know what's going on, but I'm glad before the end I'm with you, bro." His only response was a small grunt of agreement.

 _Whoosh Whoosh_

Something spinning through the air caught Joan's attention just a second before whatever it was smacked into the side of one of the Ursa. A small explosion was generated from the contact, the radiating heat and flames glancing off her barrier and scorching all three of the Grimm who howled in pain and anger.

A familiar mace tumbled to the ground at the feet of the Ursa and Joan's head whirled around to find the owner, her creeping fatigue temporarily forgotten. "I take it by the defeatist talk… that you actually are the real Joan."

"Cardin!" The orange-haired teen stepped into the light of the clearing, a barely conscious Pyrrha hanging off his shoulder. At the sight of her partner, Joan tried to stand back to her feet, but even with the support of the tree didn't get more than a couple inches off the ground.

"Just stay put, and keep your barrier up." Cardin commanded in a voice she only heard him use when ordering his team around. "Leave this to me." He set the champion against the trunk of a nearby tree and stood back up, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders.

All three Ursa turned to the approaching teen, one of them stepping over the top of his weapon. "No… Cardin, wait!" Once more Joan tried and failed to get up.

"Consider this payment, Joan."

"I only fought one Ursa that time I saved you, and I had my weapon!"

"With interest then." He didn't slow down in the slightest, purple eyes flaring with confidence as he approached the threatening Grimm. Fists clenched tightly together and back straight the whole way. If he was the least bit afraid, he didn't show it.

As he got within five feet, the three Ursa charged as one, forgetting about the twins entirely. Joan's mouth opened wide to yell again, but Jaune's hand found hers and gave a reassuring squeeze. Almost like he was telling her to trust him.

The first Ursa towered above Cardin, swinging down with its thick arm. Cardin spread his legs and bent low, holding his forearm up to block the attack. They collided with a loud thunk and a gust of wind that blew back Joan's hair. Yet Cardin hadn't buckled an inch, standing firm to the normally devastating attack.

With his right arm still supporting the Ursa's, he reached forward with his spare hand, gripping the Grimm's arm tightly. Then with a strangled yell, he pivot and pulled. Joan's eyes widened as he lifted the entire Ursa off its feet and over his head, bringing it back down on the other side of him. The spikes on its back, buried into the ground, pinning it there.

As he stepped away from it to deal with the next two it was helpless to do more than slash and growl pointlessly. Meanwhile, Cardin ducked around the strike of the next Ursa, stepping to its back and punching upwards. His fist made contact with one of the numerous white spikes, knocking it loose and sending it spinning into the air.

He caught it and in one fluid motion stabbed down, jabbing the Ursa in the back of the neck. He pulled it out and as it slumped dead to the ground turned on the last one. This Grimm didn't even get the chance to swing as Cardin did first, the tip of the spike slitting its throat and causing it to gargle on its own blood.

As it stumbled back and away from him he took a powerful step forward, clenching his hand into a fist and thrusting at the Ursa's face. The powerful punch, combined with its torn throat, sent the Ursa's head tearing clean off, flying across the clearing and disappearing into the darkness.

Blood squirted from its open neck like a fountain as its body collapsed forward, falling atop the other one. "Yeah… I'm going to need his training regime." Only Jaune was able to find his voice as Cardin bent over and picked up his fallen mace.

He walked up to the still flailing Ursa, that was more comparable to a flipped-over Turtle than an actual bear now. Wordlessly, Cardin brought the mace high over his head and brought it down on the Grimm's head. The resulting explosion thankfully obscured the gruesome image of its face being pressed in. Needless to say, all movement stopped as Cardin stepped back and away from it.

"Well," Cardin smirked cockily at Joan as he rested the shaft of the mace over his shoulder. "Still doubt me?" Joan opened and closed her mouth several times before only managing to shake her head in awe. He must have found her reaction satisfying as he let out a small chuckle. "Think Professor Port will give me extra credit if I tell this story?"

"Extra credit?" Joan had always thought Port's tales of wrestling Grimm down with his bare ends were tall tales until now. "He'll probably give you an A for the year." And despite herself, she began laughing along with him. She couldn't believe it. They had actually just survived.

"Not to interrupt, but we should probably get out of her before more Grimm show up." Jaune groaned as he leaned off Joan's chest, staggering up to his knees. As he finally got to his feet he offered Joan a hand and helped her up as well, the two of them leaning on one another for support.

"Nah, we should be good." Cardin waved his hand nonchalantly. "You think I saved Pyrrha by myself?" He hiked a thumb to the now unconscious champion. "Grimm were practically crawling all over her by the time we arrived."

"Pyrrha!" Joan's attention was once more pulled to her partner in panic. She had never seen her so beat up before. Bites and scratches littered her body, dying it red with blood.

"She's alright." Cardin walked back to the redhead and hoisted her up over his shoulder once more, before picking up her shield. "Had enough energy to be worried about the two of you, and even guide me here. I think she was so relieved to see you were alive she finally passed out, is all."

"Who else is with you?" It only struck Joan as odd just now how familiarly Jaune and Cardin were conversing with one another.

"Just some of those military faunus from Kessel. They agreed to help me after they heard you ended up on the train. Some of them already split off to get the civilians on the car you guys decoupled back to safety." Wait… did Cardin say Kessel? What the heck were they doing out here? She didn't get a chance to ask as a rustling in the bushes caught their attention, putting them all back on edge.

"Mr Winchester!" Cardin turned his head just as two faunus, dressed in what looked like modified White Fang attire appeared out of the darkness behind him. "Are you alright?" Their concern was evident, eyeing him up and down before looking at the twins, and the three dead Ursa. "Did you do that on your own?"

"Sure did." Cardin pumped out his chest proudly. "What about you guys? Everyone all right?" Nothing made sense anymore; Cardin was getting along with faunus, and they were talking amicably back. She still wasn't entirely convinced this whole thing wasn't some big dream.

"Certainly, for now. But we should head back as quickly as possible. Before more Grimm arrive." The two faunus were already walking ahead as they said this to guide the way. Cardin was quick to follow, stopping to match the twins hobbling as they continued to use one another for support. Pyrrha was so close now, Joan reached out a hand and touched her fingers. Even unconscious, the champion reacted as those fingers curled around Joan's hand, earning a small smile from the blonde.

"What are we going to do about the rest of your sisters?" Cardin's words prompted her out of the small peaceful moment she managed to share with her partner, not fully comprehending what he just said.

"I'm not exactly in any shape to do much more fighting. Saving the rest of them is going to be difficult." It was only when Jaune responded did what Cardin say begin to register.

"I'll throw you at them if I have to." They shared a small chuckle that Joan didn't share, still trying to figure out what was going on.

"What happened to our sisters?" She gave up and just asked, cutting their laughter short. The two men shared a brief but clearly awkward look.

"You… don't remember anything yet, do you?" Jaune asked tentatively as if trying to avoid a landmine.

Joan turned to look at him, their faces so close that her nose brushed against his. She wouldn't have needed to be even remotely this close to see the palpable mix of emotions in his blue eyes. There was fear, concern, resolve, trepidation, anger, sadness, relief, all pooled together in an unusual combination. Just what had he been through since she blacked out?

She opened her mouth to tell him she didn't have the slightest idea when a small memory grazed the surface of her brain. One of herself, leaning over Jaune as she choked him. A shudder rocked her body, and the memory vanished as quickly as it came. But if the answer to Jaune's question contained more memories like that one...

...she would rather not remember at all.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

This is long overdue and I have received multiple requests for it, so finally an omake about JNPR and some of Joan's dynamic with them. I actually picture something like this happening with Jaune after their team round in the Vytal Tournament. For reference, I went to the shipping chart on the RWBY subreddit for some of the names Joan comes up with.

* * *

 **Omake 26**

 _Team Attack Names_

* * *

"Okay team," Joan scrutinized her three comrades as they stood in the center of Beacon's combat training room. They all gave her their undivided attention, which in Nora's case might not actually last all that long so she wanted to hurry this along as much as possible.

"Since the three of you _forgot_ about the last time we went over this. We're going to do it again." She placed both hands on her hips and grinned proudly. "Now it's time we practice our team attacks." Nora extended an open palm high over her head, standing on the tips of her toes to get as much height as possible. "You know you don't have to raise your hand like you're in class, right?"

"No ma'am, I did not!" Nora's extended palm snapped back into a rigid salute, for whatever reason Joan couldn't fathom. "I was just wondering, ma'am, if we were going to name the rest of our team attacks as well, ma'am!"

Pyrrha and Ren's eyes widened at Nora's question. It was beyond Joan as to why, but neither of them had been pleased with the names she came up with last time. Seriously, they had no taste. What the heck was wrong with Arkos and Flower Power? Those were perfectly valid team attack names.

"I'm glad you asked, Nora." Her grin practically split her face. She would show them. The names she came up with this time would blow them away! "In addition to partners… I have come up with team attack names for all possible team combinations!" She announced gallantly, holding her chin up high with pride. She was reciprocated with horrified groans from Pyrrha and Ren and an excited cheer from Nora. "That's the spirit!" She was just going to pretend that cheer had drowned out everything else. "Starting up… Nora, drumroll please."

"You got it, Boss Lady!" Nora dropped to the ground, immediately tapping furiously at the floor with the palms of her hands.

"Ren and Pyrrha, your team attack name shall be…" She paused for dramatic effect. "Lotophagi!"

"..."

"..."

Shocked speechless.

Obviously, they were too blown away by the sheer brilliance that had just come out of her mouth. Little did they know, she wasn't even close to done. "Nora and myself are Joanora. Nora and Pyrrha shall henceforth be known as Farabae. Finally, Ren and I are Martial Arcs." She rattled the rest of the names she'd come up with in quick succession. With each consecutive one, Pyrrha's mouth gaped a little more widely and Ren's face sunk deeper into the palm of his hands. Nora's grin remained perpetually huge, eyes alight with wonder.

"So… tell me what you think." Joan prompted them impatiently for some kind of response. She knew the names were good, but this was ridiculous. Ren and Pyrrha shared a painfully awkward look, throwing the smallest possibility of doubt into her mind. "You guys like them... right?"

"Like them?" Nora jumped back to her feet, throwing both hands in the air. "I _love_ them! They're all so silly!" Silly? Those names were works of art!

"Pyrrha?" The champion shifted her weight back and forth between both feet and refused to meet Joan's pleading blue eyes.

"They're… good?" Why the Hell did that sound like a question!?

"Ren?" Surely he had her back?

"...Martial Arcs?" His voice only displayed confusion as he gestured between the two of them.

"Uhh… yeah!" Nora drawled condescendingly as she whirled on her partner. "Cause, you know! You're all like huah! Pow! Kerplat!" With each noise Nora made she threw out and mock kick or punch. "And her last name is Arc, duh! I don't know how you didn't get that." Thank you! Seriously, what wasn't to get?

"Look… Joan." She grimaced as Pyrrha took that tone that suggested she was trying to tiptoe around her feelings. "I know you're… proud, of the names you came up with. But maybe, just maybe… we should come up with names that make more sense?"

"I'm sorry, Pyrrha. Was common sense made the team leader of JNPR, or was Joan Arc?"

"Oh, oh! I know this one!" Nora jumped up and down enthusiastically. "It's Joan Arc!"

"Exactly!" She held up a single index finger. "And as Joan Arc, I say these are our team attack names! I spent like all week in Oobleck's class coming up with them." It had legitimately taken a whole class period just to come up with Lotophagi. Did they have any idea how bored she had gotten to find out how to make that reference?

"Wait… I thought you were taking notes." Realization dawned on Ren's face and she only just now understood her blunder, having promised him that she would take history more seriously after bombing Oobleck's last pop quiz. "Did you write down anything that's going to be on our test Monday?"

"That's irrelevant." She ignored his pointed stare, fighting back the cold sweat now on her forehead. "Right now our primary concern is team attacks! So let's get practicing!" She clapped her hands together, before giving a sweeping gesture. "Pyrrha and Ren, you two start."

Pyrrha merely gave an exhausted sigh as she relented. "What are we even supposed to do for our team attack?"

"..."

"..."

Oops.

"...You spent so much time thinking about the names you forgot to come up with the actual attacks, didn't you?"

"No!" She really hated it when Pyrrha looked at her like that. "...Maybe." It could've happened to anyone! She wanted to shout this in her defense but it was honestly just too painful to even look any of them in the eyes right now.

Several awkward moments of silence passed between them as they all realized they actually had no plans for training today. Which may or may not have totally been her bad. Finally, it was Ren of all people that broke that terrible quiet. "Would you…like to copy my notes for Oobleck's class?"

It was true that she really couldn't afford to fail that test and so with a defeated sigh, she gestured for him to lead the way. "Yeah… I probably should."

She totally wasn't changing the names, though.


	32. Eldest

Beta: Jefardi

Cover At: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Eldest_

* * *

These two were Jaune's eldest sisters?

Yang couldn't say she was very impressed by either of them. The one that must have been Amethyst actually looked a lot like Jaune, possibly more-so than his own twin did. Her dark purple hair was messy and short in exactly the same way his blonde locks were. The most striking difference was actually her dark red eyes, that reminded Yang eerily of Grimm. Well, that and also a pair of breasts Jaune definitely didn't have.

The most intimidating thing about her was that scythe, but having spent as much time around them as Yang had and even that kind of lost its effect on her. Still, that was more than could be said about the other and eldest sister, Violet.

She just looked so… plain. Plain white shirt, khaki capris, purple hair pulled in a ponytail, it was like this girl was trying to embody the very epitome of normalcy. There wasn't anything frightening or intimidating about her at all. Even her katana appeared dull in comparison when next to that long, black scythe.

Yet for some reason, every single eye of the other sisters were drawn specifically to her. Olivia's wide and shaking palpably with fear. Ciel perhaps was the most relaxed, but even she didn't dare turn her gaze away. Amethyst was looking up at her like one might expect an attack dog would, just waiting to be released by their master. Not a single one of them spoke, all waiting for her words.

"Glacies Inferno." Her tone was low and commanding, causing Ciel's body to tense from just having her name called. "What's going on here?"

"You're asking me?" The blue-haired girl pointed at herself incredulously before turning a finger on Olivia. "She's the one turning a blade against us."

"I'll get to her in a minute." Olivia let out a small whimper at Violet's words. "I gave you a very simple task. So explain to me how it is you managed to mess up even the most basic of instructions."

"Look, there were three of them and only one of me. I can't be everywhere at once." Ciel held both open palms up, giving an audible gulp as she appeared to struggle for an excuse. "I kept up the most important bit, didn't I? None of them killed the Glyph Bearer. If anything, he did us a favor by thinning your opposition. You should be giving me a pat on the head."

"..." An awkward silence passed between the swords. In the midst of all this, none of the three Beacon students present said a word. It was almost like the Arc sisters had forgotten they were here altogether. "...I would have liked to use Luteus Oblido's host Semblance for the next part. Fortunately for us, Mortem Caligo has an Aura seeker at her disposal as well."

"So then?" No small amount of relief leaked into Ciel's words.

"I suppose you did well enough. At the very least the disruption you four caused in Vale and here allowed Mortem Caligo and myself to get everything we needed to begin our next objective." Her gaze finally shifted off Ciel and onto Olivia. The green-haired girl's knees wobbled but she didn't back down in the slightest, meeting Violet's gaze head on. "Now the question is, what are you going to do, Viridis Teresa?"

"W-what are my options?" She asked through grit teeth. "I don't suppose you'll just let me go, live my life in peace?"

Violet gave a small snort of amusement. "No, you only have two paths ahead of you. Either you willingly come with us, right here, right now. Or… I wrestle you free from your host and personally deliver you into Jaune's hands." She paused and let the options hang in the air for several seconds. "So which one will it be? Personally, I think your illusions would be beneficial, but we'll find a way to make do without them if you prefer."

Olivia's fingers curled and uncurled several times over the hilt of her claymore. Yang could practically hear the gears spinning in her head as she tried and failed to come up with a way out of this horrible mess. In a way, she actually felt kind of sorry for her, until she remembered all the evil spiteful things this sword had said and done anyways.

Finally, Olivia lifted the sword up and slung it over her back, clicking it into place before holding her hands up in surrender. "You win. Like always, you win."

Violet gave a soft smile and nod, one that disappeared almost immediately as she once more looked back to Ciel. "Now then, who are all our guests hanging around listening to us?" She gestured vaguely towards Yang and Weiss, causing them both to tense, before pointing at Yatsuhashi who should have been hidden from her point of view.

"Ah, no worries about them." Ciel waved a hand dismissively. "They were friends of Joan's. Now that Crocea Mors is gone they shouldn't have any more need to try and oppose us."

"Yang, please don't!" Weiss whispered desperately and attempted to grab her by the shoulder, but the blonde shook her off as she stepped around the ice wall and exposed herself to all four swords.

She ignored Weiss' audible groan as she pointed up dramatically at Violet, who looked down at her curiously with a perked eyebrow. "The name is Yang Xiao Long. And the girl behind me is Weiss Schnee. We're friends of Joan's alright… but we're also friends of Jaune. So if you think we're going to just let you go quietly, you better believe you've got another thing coming!"

"..." Violet stared at her without words for several seconds before looking back at Ciel, who could only give what sounded like a disappointed sigh and shake of the head before shrugging. Violet then looked back at Yang, a small smirk of amusement crossing her face. "Jaune's friends, you say? That's cute."

A piece of the roof next to her feet blasted apart as Yang discharged a shot of Ember Celica. It failed to elicit any kind of reaction Yang found desirable as the sword continued to grin at her. That was the exact same thing Ciel said earlier. "Just what the Hell is with you swords and thinking it's so funny that Jaune has friends?!" Her eyes flashed red and a small spark of fire returned to her hair.

"Would you consider being my friend?" For almost half-a-second she forgot her rage at the completely unexpected question that left Violet's mouth. "And I don't mean with Violet. I am asking if you'll be _my_ friend." She patted the sheathed katana for emphasis.

"Hell no!" Was that even supposed to be a serious question? If this sword was trying to make fun of her…

"What about with those gauntlets on your hands?" This time, Yang did forget her anger, not understanding at all where Violet was going with these weird ass questions. "They have a name, don't they? Your gauntlets?"

"Ember Celica." Yang held them up proudly, considering discharging another shot just for emphasis.

"Are you and Ember Celica friends?" What the Hell? If she was being honest, she had never really considered the question. Attaching such titles to weapons was more Ruby's thing, not hers. "If you don't have an answer-" Violet took her silence as an opening to continue. "-then you have no right to call Jaune a friend."

"Jaune is not the same as you." Yatsuhashi stepped free from his cover, the tall man standing proudly as he said exactly what Yang wanted to. "He is a person with freewill. He is not some object that only knows how to kill." A roar of laughter turned both Yang and Yatsuhashi's eyes to Ciel, who was now bent over, clutching her sides.

"You really don't know anything, do you?" Violet actually sounded like she pitied them as she asked that question, once again adding fuel to Yang's anger.

"If you've got something to say then fucking say it! I'm sick of you beating around the bush and talking all cryptically." She bashed her fists together, fire radiating off her Aura.

"Okay then, I'll say it. Jaune has more similarities to us than he ever will to you lot. In fact, it is accurate to say he is _exactly_ the same as us swords. Freewill? From the moment Jaune was marked with those glyphs… his life had one, and only one purpose. The destruction of us seven swords. When that is done, his destiny will be complete."

"That's a load of crap!" Even Weiss couldn't stand by anymore as she took a stance next to Yang, hands on her hips. "A person is more than one part of themselves. And Jaune Arc is more than just his hands."

Violet shook her head and gave a frustrated sigh. "It's like I'm talking to a wall. You're a Schnee, are you not?" Weiss looked taken aback by the question before giving a curt nod. "I've fought side by side with the Schnee for many generations now. At one point, your family and the Arcs were rather close. Let me guess, you still have the same hereditary Semblance that they had back then?"

"W-what does that have to do with anything?" Yang couldn't help but agree with Weiss' question.

"That Semblance is a symbol of your family. Of your inability to let go of the past. Time and time again I have seen that very ability define who the Schnee are as people right up until their final moments. The past doesn't lie. And people cannot change their nature. That Semblance will rule your whole life the same way Jaune's Semblance will rule his."

"Hold on, hold on." Yang took another step forward, noticing Amethyst tense and scythe move a fraction as she did. "We're not talking about Jaune's semblance right now. We're talking about the Shatter Glyphs forced onto his hands."

"..." Violet opened her mouth but no words came out as the look in her eyes turned into one of pity and if it was possible, Ciel's laughing became even harder.

"Oh my, oh my." Olivia shook her head sadly. "It would appear they really _don't_ understand anything." Yang's teeth grit together so loudly she could hear it over the crackling fire roaring to life off her hair.

"Someone better explain it to sparky here before she blows a gasket." Ciel managed to get out between breaths. Yang would've shouted something if it was possible, instead only managing to get out frustrated halfwords that meant nothing to no one.

"It would seem that the three of you are under some grand misconception that Jaune's Semblance and the Shatter Glyphs are somehow different." Violet continued once again, finally jumping down from the roof and landing at eye level with Yang. "When in fact they are one and the same. Effectively, Jaune _is_ the Shatter Glyphs. The Shatter Glyphs _are_ Jaune. You see why I say he's more like us than he is you? Does that make sense, now?"

"Fuck that." Yang didn't miss a beat. If they thought for a second she was going to believe that, they were more retarded than she thought. She had seen the proof that Jaune was more than what they were saying. Heard it with her own ears. If he was really what they said he was, then he wouldn't have made that offer.

He wouldn't have promised to help find her mother. Everything else was irrelevant in the face of that one little gesture he made simply as a way to return the favor. Because that promise meant to her that Jaune sought to exist beyond those glyphs.

"Haha, I like this girl." Violet started to stroll forward. Amethyst landed down next to her, staying just a step behind the whole way.

"Not another step!" Weiss readied Myrtenaster as Yang raised her gauntlets into a boxing position. A yellow glyph formed beneath them, Violet stopping just on the outskirts of its border.

"Look, I appreciate what you and your group have done for Jaune." Violet's one hand had yet to leave the hilt of Ostrum Tempus since they arrived, and Yang didn't dare take her eyes off it now that she was so close. "Your assistance is no longer required, though. Do yourself a favor and cut all connections with him. There's no happy ending in this story for him, nor any of you if you don't heed my advice right now."

"Not happening." Yang had to fight every urge to end that sentence with a punch, holding on by the smallest sliver of common sense. "You're not the one in a position to be making threats. Jaune is on our side. And with our help, he's going to break you all."

Violet's orange eyes held Yang's angry red gaze for several unblinking seconds before turning to her younger sister. "Glacies Inferno, how much time do I have?"

The blue haired girl shrugged as she put both hands in her pockets. "I'm running out of created Grimm, but the real deal should be flocking here in droves with as much panic as we created. You have more than enough time to teach them a lesson without being interrupted."

"Five minutes." Violet nodded to Amethyst. "Get the other two out of here and come back for me in that time. You got that?"

"..." Amethyst didn't say anything nor did it look like she had any intention to make some kind of gesture of acknowledgement, instead setting out towards the other two sisters after locking eyes with her eldest sister for a split second. Ciel and Olivia stood side by side one another as the tip of Amethyst's blade began glowing a sickly purple hue.

A swirling portal opened in front of them. Ciel stepped into it first, followed closely by Olivia. Amethyst gave one last backward glance before she too walked into the portal. A second later and it closed, leaving Violet alone with the three Beacon students.

There wasn't any doubt in her eyes. She truly believed she could take them all out within five minutes. Strongest sister or not, Yang took that as an insult. They weren't untrained little kiddies. And she couldn't wait to wipe the smirk off this chick's face. "Well, what are you waiting for? Ten seconds have already passed. I'll even give you three a handicap and not fight back or use my sword's ability for the first two minutes."

That was the final straw for Yang. Her anger being built up over the last few minutes exploded all at once in a violent, angry yell. Fire roared off her body and she swung her fist. Against her will that fist bent and twisted, the barrel of Ember Celica swinging over Violet's shoulder and not into her face like intended.

The gauntlet discharged a powerful shot that blew apart the only standing wall left of what had once been a building. Weiss stepped in just next to her, body a blur as the yellow glyph slowed down their perception of time around them. Only to face the same effect, Myrtenaster twisting out of the way and jabbing to the right of the girl in front of them.

"And just like that, I could've killed you both just now." Yang gave a start as Violet's finger prodded her in the exposed throat. Despite it not having any killing intent behind the action, the brawler felt her legs go weak.

The heat radiating off her in an orange glow should've scorched Violet's hand. It should've been impossible for her to get even close. Yet she could see the strange phenomena as it happened, the heat arching and forming a clear space around the area Violet occupied. Even her Semblance that superheated the air couldn't touch her.

"Miss Xiao Long, Miss Schnee, move!" Both girls reacted before Yatsuhashi even finished shouting, his voice coming from directly above them. They skipped back, landing ten feet away from the older woman as the samurai came flying down.

His sword which was held high over his head created a beautiful arch as he sliced through the air. Only for it to bend out of the way mere inches over Violet's head and cut nothing but air until it buried into the ground. A wide fissure split from the impact alone, before a moment later the gravity in the area multiplied exponentially.

Even ten feet away was too close as Yang and Weiss were thrown down by Yatsuhashi's Semblance, their faces being mercilessly pressed into the ground and making it impossible to breathe. The attack ended only two seconds later but that was two seconds too long as Weiss and Yang both were finally set free.

It gave the two girls whiplash as their heads shot up due to the sudden decrease in gravity. Black dots filled Yang's vision as she tried and failed to properly get back standing. Her whole balance was upset and twice through the experience both ears popped. She was just thankful that Yatsuhashi was on her side, and hoped she never had to fight him even as an exhibition.

Either way, she would have liked to see Violet's Semblance get around that one. The confident smirk on her face slipped almost immediately after having that thought. As the last black dot vanished she was greeted with the complete picture of what had transpired. Yatsuhashi's Semblance had created a six-foot-deep crater, making it impossible for her to even see the street anymore being inside its fifteen-foot radius. The man himself was in the center of this crater, and just next to him was an unbroken pillar.

Standing atop this pillar, having not moved an inch, was an unperturbed Violet. She merely looked down on them as if she was bored, one hand resting on the katana, the other her hip. "That's already one minute. Are you three even trying?"

A loud hum and a flash of rose petals appeared behind Violet as Ruby materialized out of thin air, scythe spinning around to slice into her hip. Like all the times before, even with Ruby's super-speed, it twisted out of the way and the young reaper missed by more than an inch.

Ruby gave a loud yell as her momentum carried her past Violet and she crash-landed into the wall of the crater the other three were in. "That's impossible." Weiss' voice cracked, gripping Myrtenaster tightly in frustration.

"You humans really like to throw around the word "impossible" without really stopping to think about the context you're using it in." Violet hopped down from the pillar, landing next to Yatsuhashi without fear. It wasn't like he could actually hit her anyways. None of them could even touch her. How were they supposed to fight someone you couldn't hit?

"The things I have just witnessed you do defy all forms of logic and common sense." Violet continued uninterrupted. "A girl appeared out of thin air swinging a scythe at breakneck speeds. Your male friend here collapsed the earth around him with a thought. Meanwhile, you can summon the dead and the blonde next to you sparks with fire and doesn't get burned. These are things an ordinary person would think "impossible." Yet you take these abilities for granted. However, the moment someone does something just a little outside of your new normal you once again are eager to slap that "impossible" label on it."

"What the Hell are you even ranting about?" Yang growled as she finally regained her balance, staggering to a stand. She was so sick and tired of hearing these swords talk down on them. To hear them pretend that they were real people. Couldn't they just quit running their mouths?

"Just a pet peeve of mine, is all." Violet shrugged unapologetically. "I'm sick of humans hiding behind the word "impossible" as if it is supposed to be some kind of acceptable excuse for why they cannot accomplish something." She took several powerful strides forward, stopping as close to the middle of all four students as she could. "You have five seconds before I draw my sword, by the way."

All four of them leaped into action at once. The yellow glyph Weiss formed beneath herself and Yang slowed their perception of time once more, allowing them to see everything happen in slow motion. Yatsuhashi pushed off the ground, once more bringing his sword high as he charged. Ruby was faster, leaving a trail of rose petals behind as her Semblance super-speeded her towards Violet.

Weiss was a second faster than Yang, thrusting Myrtenaster in a straight jab as she moved at the same speed Ruby did thanks to her glyph. The blonde didn't waste another second, shooting both barrels of Ember Celica behind and launching herself into the air.

Ruby reached her first, once again swinging Crescent Rose but missing by a hair's breadth as the scythe twisted out of the way, sending the girl flying past unsuccessfully. Weiss was next and experienced the same thing her partner had. Like them, Yang failed, the gauntlet of Ember Celica twisting out of the way and discharging the explosive Dust bullet over her shoulder.

To her horror, it bent and fired right for Yatsuhashi. The bullet was already halfway to him before she could open her mouth to shout in warning. The samurai's eyes widened as years of training kicked in. His sword came down, turning the broadside to the bullet. By sheer luck, he managed to deflect it at the last possible second. The red compressed Dust ricocheted off with a loud ting and rebounded on Violet.

And this time, she moved. It wasn't much. A simple tilt of the head to dodge the bullet. It flew past her and created a crack in the wall of earth where it exploded, never actually touching her. But it was undeniable, she had been forced to dodge the attack. Every other one she hadn't so much as moved an inch or bat an eyelash. Except for that simple, ricocheted bullet.

Yang's body twist and flipped as she landed back on the ground, skidding a couple inches before coming to a complete stop. "Guys! I figured out-"

"Time's up." Violet never even let her finish that thought.

She placed the top of her thumb under the hilt guard of the katana, pushing it up to reveal a flash of silver. And then vanished completely from sight, not leaving even a trace as to where she went. No warning of any kind came after that. Instead her allies just dropped, as if by magic.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yatsuhashi spit blood and begin to fall forward, a thin line of red appearing between his right shoulder and left hip before that too violently erupted outwards. Weiss collapsed into the pillar, a gaping stab wound appearing in her lower abdomen. Blood quickly dyed her beautiful white dress red as it gushed out either end of the wound and pooled at her feet.

Ruby! Yang frantically looked around for her sister, finding no sign of her as she realized no such wound had been afflicted on her either. She looked down at her body, hands running all over herself as she felt for any kind of wound that hadn't registered.

Then it happened.

Right in front of her nose flew a single golden lock. It drifted by itself for several seconds, swinging back and forth like a pendulum as it made its way to the ground. Before it was then joined by dozens of other strands of blonde hair. A soft thump reached her ears as something thick and soft hit the ground behind her, softly tickling her ankles.

Wide red eyes looked down in horror to find a huge clump of beautiful blonde hair gathered beneath her. Hands were slow to move, touching at the cloth of her now exposed back. The golden locks that had once gone down to her butt were gone, no longer where they should be. Shakily, those hands continued their way up until finally finding something just at shoulder level, only a little longer than Ruby's now.

"That could have been your head, you know?" She should have felt such irrational anger right now towards that voice. Yet Yang felt nothing at all. Not sadness, nor anger, nor fear. It was like the part of her brain that felt had just shut down, unable to process the loss of one of her most precious things.

Instead, she turned to the voice that came above her. Violet once again sat on the pillar left behind from Yatsuhashi's initial attack. Legs dangled over the edge, the blade of the katana stabbed into the ground to her left. Yang didn't care about any of that, though. Because sitting in Violet's lap, hand cupped over her mouth was Ruby. Wide silver eyes looked down at her big sister, pleading for help even as she kicked and flailed, giving muffled shouts.

"Ru-" Yang tried to shout, but instead of words, blood flew out her mouth and dribbled down her chin. The hands that had been feeling what was left of the golden hair slipped around to the front, feeling a thin slice on her throat that was now oozing with more of the red liquid. Knees hit the ground as searing pain filled every fibre of her being. She was forced to squint through the tears pooling in the corner of both eyes just to not let her baby sister of her sight. Fingers clutched desperately at her open throat, attempting to minimize the amount of blood she was losing.

"It's at this point you're probably wondering: Why?" Violet's words didn't hold any kind of hostility, sounding once again more like she was pitying those lesser than her. "Is there a reason I'm putting you through this torture instead of just killing you?" Yang just wanted to tell her to shut up. Already she could feel her Aura attempting to seal the wound closed. Whether or not it would be fast enough she had no idea.

"The thing is, none of you had to die. You've done nothing to upset me and are really just innocent bystanders that somehow got swept up in the Arc family sins. So now I'm merely showing you what's going to happen if you continue to associate yourself with anyone the bears the last name of Arc." Violet picked up the sword, brandishing its silver length in the broken moonlight for several seconds before pressing the edge of the blade against Ruby's throat.

"Nnnnn!" Yang cried out as she stumbled back to her feet. With one hand still covering her throat to prevent herself from bleeding out, the other desperately swung, discharging shot after shot at Violet to no avail. They just continued to veer out of the way. She looked to Weiss or Yatsuhashi, pleading with her eyes for their help, only to find both of them barely hanging onto the edge of consciousness, not even aware of what was happening.

"I remember Joan talking about the two of you to Violet one day. You're both sisters. It was funny to them at the time, because like you, most of the Arc siblings don't bear much of a resemblance to one another." Violet continued to talk nonchalantly as if she wasn't holding the edge of a katana against a thrashing girl's throat. "So here's your ultimatum. Your life or your sister's." Yang gestured wildly to Ruby, trying to convey for Violet to spare her. If it meant protecting her precious baby sister she wouldn't hesitate, not even for a moment to give her life.

"Ah, you seem to misunderstand." Violet shook her head sadly. "I'm not going to be the one to make the decision; you are." The edge of her blade pressed down on Ruby's throat, breaking the flesh and sending a small trickle of blood to run down her neck.

"Nnnnnnnnnnnn!" Yang screamed at the top of her lungs through clenched teeth, blood flying out her mouth. The pain and fear in Ruby's silver eyes made Yang wish she was dead already. It was like that night all over again. Where she was helpless to save her baby sister. She couldn't go through this again. Please, not again. Where was Uncle Qrow? He would save Ruby, just like before.

Please, _someone_ save Ruby!

 _Swoosh_

As if someone heard her, a white spherical object about the size of a soccer ball whizzed over Yang's head, flying right for Violet. As with everything else it bent to the side and veered away from her before it could get close.

With the sound of gears whirling inside, a small hole opened in the side of the sphere. A vial blue dust shot out from the ball and in front of its path. The vial burst apart, the blue dust expanding and forming a thin sheet of ice the size of a lunch tray. The white sphere hit the ice tray and ricocheted backwards, aiming once more at the eldest Arc sister. Orange eyes widened in surprise and she dropped Ruby as she turned her sword to deflect the ball.

Yang dove for her sister, catching her just before she hit the ground, rolling to a stop and holding her tightly to her chest without any intention of ever letting go again. Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes even as Ruby's did the same. "Yang!" She pressed her hands against Yang's still bleeding throat, ignoring the blood that oozed over her fingers. The blonde ignored the pain in her throat, shortened hair long forgotten, simply grateful her sister was okay.

With a loud ting, Violet deflected the ball and it bounced through the air, arcing back the way it came before touching down with a soft plop in the hands of their savior. "Getting along with others never really was a strong point of Violet's…"

"Lily." The dog faunus grinned cheekily as Violet spoke her name. She gave a small tilt of the head, dirty blonde hair splaying to the side so one brown eye was revealed.

"Fortunately for everyone else, I was always there to set her straight."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 27**

 _Workshop_

* * *

Workshop class at Signal Academy was always a boring affair for Rouge.

Students here were expected to design, create, and modify their own weapons in whatever form they felt appropriate. Creativity was encouraged and practicality was usually tossed to the side like a discarded thought. There was no appreciation for the classics among her peers. Which made workshop a class Rouge was even more alienated from the others than she already was.

There was no need for her to even really be here. Fia Vesta couldn't exactly be modified to match the modern era due to its indestructible nature, and it was already powerful enough anyways. So that didn't leave her with much to do but sit off to the side on a bench, nose deep in a book.

Any other student probably would get in trouble for not participating in class. Rouge got a free pass and Professor Qrow had never once talked to her about her reading. She was the seventh and youngest Arc to attend this class here at Signal, after all. It was pretty well established by this point that none of them had any need or desire to build new weapons.

Today was likely to be the same as the rest. Not that she had a problem with that. Just her and her books was all she needed. It certainly got a little lonely though… just as that thought crossed her mind and the whole world went dark as warm palms pressed against her cheeks and fingers blocked out the light.

"Guess who!" The cheery, sing-song voice brought a smile to Rouge's lips. She placed a small finger on her chin and gave a small hum as she pretended to think about it.

"Ruby?" The end of her best friend's name went up an octave as Rouge made it sound like as much of a question as possible, earning an exaggerated giggle from the other girl.

"Yay! You got it!" Sight returned as Ruby's hands flew from her face. A moment later and the bench shifted as the other girl plopped down next to her. "Wha'cha up to?"

"I was just reading." Rouge held up her book for emphasis. "What about you?" It was actually unusual to see Ruby, as they had workshop in different periods. Regardless, she was just happy to see her friend.

"I had to ask Uncle Qrow something, but he looks kind of busy." Ruby gestured to the other side of the workshop, where some poor kid's weapon was malfunctioning. Children screamed and ran as the glitching sword/gun/thing (Rouge could never tell anymore) caught fire and sent smoke billowing.

Most of the other teachers here at Signal would've jumped in to protect the students and put an end to the potential fire hazard. Professor Qrow… well, he was laughing. Quite hard too, seeing as he was doubled over and appeared to have some trouble breathing. It looked like he was at least trying to indicate to the fire extinguisher but the attempt was questionable at best.

"Your uncle certainly has a… unique sense of humor." Honestly, Rouge was kind of surprised she hadn't heard any of this commotion until Ruby snapped her back into reality. In her defense, it was a really good part of the book.

"I know! Isn't he great?" Well, that wasn't exactly what she meant by unique but sure, great worked too. Rouge simply nodded in agreement, not willing to mar the huge grin on her best friend's face. "Say, do you have any plans for lunch today?"

Rouge shook her head. "No, I just brought something from home and was going to eat that."

"Really? Did you make it yourself?" Ruby clapped her hands together and it almost looked like a lightbulb went off inside her head. "I would love to try your home cooking. Of course, I'll trade you some of mine. If you don't mind, that is."

"Well…" She probably shouldn't let Ruby find out about her less than satisfactory cooking skills. "My big brother prepared it for me, actually. I would not be opposed to sharing some with you. His cooking is very good."

"Really? Thanks, Rouge. You're the best!" Ruby hugged her without warning, not that she minded. "Well, it looks like Uncle Qrow isn't busy anymore." Ruby jumped off the bench a second after the hug ended, and Rouge turned to see one of the other students had finally located the fire extinguisher and put an end to what could have been a potential disaster.

Professor Qrow… looked kind of disappointed about that too, as he slumped back to his desk, hands in pockets. "I'll see you at lunch then, Rouge. I look forward to it!" With a small wave, Ruby took off running, shouting her uncle's name.

"See you then." Rouge barely whispered back, watching her friend for several more seconds before turning back to her book. The feeling of loneliness from earlier was gone, instead replaced by a small ember of content. Even if Ruby wasn't here with her now, they had a promise to meet later.

And for Rouge, that was more than enough to make the whole rest of her day better.


	33. Lily vs Violet

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Lily vs Violet_

* * *

"Finally free of this forest!" Despite their circumstances, it was almost hard for Joan not to giggle at her twin's relieved expression as the two of them hobbled out from the brush and into the farmlands in front of Kessel.

Not that she didn't share in his solace. Forever Fall Forest was a living nightmare at any time of the day, but being trapped out there in the darkness only exemplified that terror. Of course, being free from the forest didn't bring an end to that horror. Now they could just see it coming, instead of worrying about the possibility of it being behind every tree. And seeing it was its own kind of scary.

Especially with the knowledge that she was partially responsible for what was happening in front of them. The farmlands had become a war zone between man and beast as the faunus guards of Kessel fought back the encroaching mass of Grimm being drawn in by all the panic.

Beyond them were the high walls of Kessel and their destination. Not to mention another two of their sisters. Jaune was being cryptic for now in exactly what was going on, but Joan was at the very least able to gather that he was breaking the Sacred Arc Swords.

"We need to hurry." Jaune suddenly began shuffling forward again, a far more urgent gleam in his eye than before. He broke free from Joan and for a second she thought he would fall over, but instead managed to maintain a steady balance, Aura having mostly healed his old injuries.

"What's going on, what happened?" Cardin had to pause to readjust a still unconscious Pyrrha over his shoulders before setting after Jaune.

"Amethyst and Violet." Jaune's fingers twitched, the scars on his hands undoubtedly reacting to the presence of two more Sacred Swords. "They're here." He only made it a couple more feet before having to stop as a smoking Grimm limb collapsed with a heavy thud in front of him.

"Listen, I get we're in a rush-" Cardin stopped just next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But I can't defend all of us by myself. The soldiers here are having enough trouble looking after one another, so we can't expect them to help either." He was right, of course. There was a considerable amount of land they still had to cover too.

As if to prove Cardin's point, a pack of sprinting Beowolves skid to a stop in front of their path, red eyes gleaming and growls sending shivers down Joan's spine as they turned on them. A small glimmer of gold on the taller man's back caught her eye and without thinking she raced forward and ripped Milo from him.

"Hey!" She ignored Cardin's shout as her hand slid over the red and golden design. As it did, another memory bubbled forth. This time, of Pyrrha crying as the blade of Crocea Mors clashed with Milo. She gave a small start, nearly dropping the weapon and barely managing to restrain a yelp. None of this went unnoticed by Jaune, whose lips merely spread into a thin line as he refrained from commenting.

Another growl from one of the Beowolves caused the memory burst to vanish as quickly as it came. She didn't waste another second switching Milo to its rifle form. She hefted the weapon up and aimed down the sights of the barrel. Having been Pyrrha's partner for over a year now, she had plenty of chances to practice with Milo. Never more than now had she wished she done that more often.

It was too late for such regrets as her finger found the trigger and pulled. A Dust bullet flew from the barrel with a loud bang, but over the sound of that gunshot Joan heard a tormented shriek.

The blonde recoiled as the Beowulf in front of her was replaced by a screaming Nora. Clothes were torn and tattered, hair singed and scalp burnt. This time, she did let out a choked yell as the bullet she fired blew the top of Nora's face off, scattering blood and brains in every direction.

"Joan!" Jaune's hand shook her shoulder and caused her to blink. When she did, the image of Nora was replaced by a tumbling Beowulf. With a shake of the head, she tried to bring her now erratic and uneven breathing back under control.

Cardin had already charged ahead, swinging his mace to beat back the other Grimm. She knocked Jaune's hand loose, ignoring his concerned gaze. Instead focusing all her attention back on the gun as she lined up for another shot.

"I can do this, Jaune." She had to believe that. For all their sakes.

* * *

"You know-" Lily gestured at the injured Beacon students Violet had left scattered throughout the crater she now stood in.

Three soldiers she brought with her leaned over them to heal their injuries and protect them from the inevitable clash. One between two former partners. Violet stood on top of a pillar in the middle of the crater, orange eyes glaring down at the dog faunus like she was dirt to be flicked off from the soles of your shoe. Despite what everyone thought, Violet never looked down on others. So unless her partner had changed since the last time they met, it was safe to say Jaune's story about the sword having taken over was true by that gaze alone.

"If you really wanted to see me again so badly, all you had to do was ask. This was all rather dramatic." Lily repeated the same words Jaune had said to her subordinate in the elevator. For now just trying to get Violet to talk again. To hear her voice and judge with her own ears what kind of person it was controlling her body.

"I guess I can't say I'm surprised that you figured it out." Violet continued to sit on the pillar, looking completely relaxed and not the least bit surprised by Lily's sudden appearance. The katana was outside the sheath, an interesting choice considering her opponent was directly in front of her. "You always were a rather clever mutt."

Even knowing it wasn't Violet, those words hurt. All the same, Lily didn't allow her grin to waver in the slighest. "It helps that I have ears everywhere." She wiggled the faunus appendages on top of her head for emphasis, despite the fact it hadn't been them she used to discover what was going on. With the power of her Semblance, she was able to hear everything that happened in this town. And she recognized her partner's voice immediately. "You weren't exactly subtle in trying to goad me to come out and play."

"Subtly never was a particularly strong suit of mine." Ostrum Tempus didn't deny it. Which meant she had truly wanted to meet Lily. Either for personal reasons or others it didn't matter. Lily had wanted this meeting too, after all. "You saved me considerable effort by accepting my invitation so promptly. Although, you didn't have to waste so much energy trying to save these children. After I was finished with their lesson I would've made it a special point to meet you halfway."

Did that mean Violet hadn't intended to kill them? There was some interesting context to be taken if that was true. Lily was no detective, but if she had to guess she would almost say Ostrum Tempus had been trying to get them to turn away from Jaune and his mission. Just what would she accomplish from that, Lily had no idea, but this sword seemed to have a lot more going on than her destructive counter parts.

"Ooh… scary, scary." Lily tilted her head back, hair splaying once more over both brown eyes to conceal them completely from sight. She tossed Fetch, the small white orb, several feet into the air. She listened to its trajectory the whole way up and the back down, catching it and feeling the sleek reflective surface. "I thought it was odd that those three swords chose this town of all places to try and hide out in. Now it's starting to make sense. You had Glacies Inferno lead them here so we could meet."

"It makes it easier to explain if you already understand that much. As Violet's former partner I wanted to test myself against you." Lily could hear it as Violet began to stand. The blade of Ostrum Tempus bumped the side of the pillar with a loud scrape before she heard it slide back into the sheath. "Now you'll just be one more corpse in a long list of them."

"I'm surprised you can talk about killing me so easily." Lily once more tossed Fetch in the air, listening to it go up and back down before plopping into her open palm. "We've gone on quite a few missions together, you and I."

"Don't take it personally; I know that was always a hard thing to do for you faunus. I am not doing this because of any history you and Violet shared." Ostrum Tempus paused, as if looking for the word she thought would hurt Lily most. "In fact, you are the closest Violet has ever come to calling somebody a friend."

"Closest to calling a friend?" Lily grinned. "Guess that means I still got a ways to go." She told herself those words didn't hurt. "After all, from the very first moment I met her, Violet has been and always will be-" She told herself it wasn't Violet who said them. "My absolute best friend."

The air shifted. "I know." Violet's voice came from directly behind her. The sound of the katana cut through the air. In less than a second, Lily was going to lose her head. Even with Aura, if she took a direct swing from the katana- she was dead. The swords had too much Ambiance. They could cut through Aura like it wasn't even there.

At this distance and speed, even with Lily's enhanced faunus reflexes, there was no dodging. So if she couldn't dodge. And she couldn't block. The only option left was to attack. And from the very second Violet had moved her counterattack had begun.

The left hand that had remained tightened in a fist uncurled. With just that little motion her Semblance activated. The paw mark she had placed on her own back glowed and beamed with the intensity of a flashbang. Violet's Semblance could filter light attacks. However, to redirect something of that speed, she had to be focusing on it. Something she couldn't do and attack at the same time.

The katana stopped short and Violet stumbled blindly backwards.

"By the way." Lily reopened her eyes, having closed them tight the moment dirty blonde bangs had obscured them. "I wasn't talking about finding it difficult to kill me because of personal emotions." She whirled on her partner, winding up and releasing Fetch with the motion. "I was talking about the fact that of all the times Violet and I spared-"

Unlike the light attack, the soccer-ball sized orb bent and twisted around her partner.

It flew to the wall of the crater they were in and ricocheted off.

And then struck Violet in the back.

"I won half of them."

That was her main weakness. Yang and the others had found it out too little too late, but Lily had already known it. The Semblance could only reflect something once. After that and she had to physically dodge. Which was going to be difficult now that Lily had managed to blind her.

The purple-haired girl stumbled forward, barely managing to maintain her balance. Fetch skid off her back. It arched high in the air before slowly beginning its descent back down.

Lily crouched low, placing both hands on the ground. Muscles in all four limbs tensed and coiled before springing into action. To the others, Lily probably appeared to vanish for a split second before reappearing in the air upside down and in front of her falling weapon.

She gave a cry of exertion as her foot came down. The bottom of the heeled boot struck Fetch and once again ricocheted it back at Violet. Her partner still hadn't recovered from the stumble forward before the orb struck her in the chest. A cough of blood flew from Violet's mouth and her balance was upset in the opposite direction.

Fetch bounced off her in a straight line. Lily landed just in front of its path. With a quick twirl, she sent the orb once again back at Violet with a high-powered spinning kick. The tip of Ostrum Tempus came up and this time deflected Fetch, the orb bouncing to the side with a shower of sparks.

Lily couldn't say she was surprised. Getting off even two consecutive hits was a miracle in and of itself.

The palm of Violet's hand rested on her nose, fingers obscuring both eyes. As those digits spread, Lily caught a glimpse of hazy orange. Her sight hadn't returned completely, and odds were she was seeing doubles or triples of everything. But it was enough for Violet to return the katana to its sheath. That was when she was most dangerous. When she drew the sword from that sheath, time appeared to slow to a near stop for Violet. For everyone else it was only a split second, but for Violet it was much longer than that.

Violet began to draw the sword. Then vanished from sight.

Both dog ears twitched as they picked up on small indications of Violet's almost imperceptible approach. There was a split second between when she finished drawing the blade and her time returned to normal. Lily needed to aim for that if she was going to survive.

A flash of purple appeared out of the corner of her eye. Lily twirled, bringing her foot high in a spinning kick. With a loud clack, she caught Ostrum Tempus with the arch of her heeled boot.

"If I didn't know better I would say you're getting irritated." Violet scowled as Lily grinned coyly. Fetch than came racing towards them. It had been bouncing off the high walls of the crater several more times, picking up speed with each rebound.

Ostrum Tempus and Lily's boot disentangled as she turned the blade back to defend from the orb. With another loud clang and shower of sparks, the two weapons clashed. Lily used the chance to skip backward and put distance between herself and Violet. Fetch rebounded in her direction.

"Look out behind you!" The little girl in red screamed and Lily's faunus ears picked up on a weapon slicing through the air not even a second later. She turned her head enough to see a black scythe as it came down from above. Amethyst was floating in the air behind her, red eyes devoid of any emotion.

No time to dodge, she tapped the scroll at her waist. With a burst of Flame Dust, Fetch increased velocity. The scythe was only two inches away, but her weapon was faster. Just as Mortem Caligo went to split Lily's head open Fetch flew into Amethyst's gut, forcing her into triggering her Incorporeal Semblance.

The sphere faded through Amethyst's stomach like she was a ghost as the scythe dipped into Lily's skull. Both weapons phased past without harming the other. Lily skipped to the side, already tapping at the scroll. Fetch bounced off an ice wall it generated and right into the Faunus' extended palm.

Lily grimaced before quickly masking the expression with a strained grin. The blade of Mortem Caligo began glowing a dark purple as Amethyst prepared to summon the souls of the slain to battle for it. "Mortem Caligo! Enough!" And then the glow vanished as the younger sister turned her attention to an irritated Violet.

The faunus glanced between the two sisters, body still tense for battle despite the fact that it looked like Violet no longer looked interested as she sheathed her sword. "...I apologize. I did not expect Mortem Caligo to be so rash as to interfere with our duel like that." If Amethyst felt any kind of shame or embarrassment she did a great job of not showing it.

"Not planning to run just because I opened a can of whoop ass and little sister had to save your butt, are you?" Honestly, it might be more convenient at this point to just let them leave if that was their intent. However, it was hard to just let Violet go, especially when there was a possibility she could be saved.

"We are departing because my fun has been ruined, despite the fact that I rather enjoyed our little exchange until that moment." Violet strolled with an unguarded gait up to her sister. "It's not often I meet someone actually capable of making a match entertaining."

"Then why don't you stick around? No need to cut it short just because of one little hiccup." In the end, she really couldn't just let her go without at least trying.

"I'm afraid anything longer and I would just be making this personal." Amethyst opened a swirling vortex that Violet stopped in front of. Violet gave a soft, almost empathetic smile as she ran a hand through her purple hair. "Goodbye, Lily. You and I probably won't meet again."

"Wai-" Lily took a half-step forward but it was already too late as her partner and best friend disappeared into the portal. Amethyst stepped into it a second later and it closed behind her. Just like that, the Arc sisters were gone. They had been forced back, away from their city. In a way, it was a victory for all of them.

Yet Lily couldn't help but feel like it was nothing more than a loss.

* * *

Jaune raced through the streets of Kessel, allowing the glyphs to guide him. It wasn't a concrete feeling, and at best he would only say he could feel a vague pull in the general direction of the swords, but that was all he had to go off of to find his remaining sisters.

He hadn't wished to split from Joan, especially in the state she was in. She appeared fine most times but he could tell the memories were beginning to come back in small bursts and that was taking a toll on his twin. The moment they entered the city he had insisted she stay behind with Cardin, Pyrrha, and the other guards. He would make this as quick as possible and be right back to her side before she knew it. He had to be there for her.

Just as the feeling in the glyphs seemed to resonate the strongest, it vanished.

He skid to a stop in the middle of the street. All around him, he continued to hear and see signs of activity. Smoke was heavy in the air. Spotlights swung about, illuminating possible Grimm incursions. Gunshots and the cries of battle echoed in the distance around him. The chaos and destruction they wrought were evident in the demolished buildings that lined the broken road he stood on.

Yet they were no longer here.

His sisters had escaped. Once again he had allowed them to lay waste to everything in sight, killing countless innocents in their wake, and the only thing he had to show for it was just one more sister free.

This was starting to become a horrible cycle of rinse and repeat. How many more lives in how many more locations did he have to go through this before it was done? At this rate, there would be no way to ever exonerate them of their crimes, as if that notion wasn't already a pipe dream to begin with.

Joan was already crumbling apart, not to mention the trauma Autumn and even Rouge had accumulated in their shortened possession. How much worse would it be for those he had yet to save?

Mind in a fog, he hadn't even realized he'd begun walking again until he nearly tripped over the girl that now stood in his path. "L-Lily!" He gasped in surprised while attempting to backtrack.

Two strong arms wrapped around his back before he could get more than a step and pulled him into a tight hug. "Jaune…" Her voice was muffled as she spoke into the fabric of his shirt. "...I'm sorry. I couldn't stop them." Never in his life had he heard Lily sound so defeated before.

His arms came up and wrapped around her in a poor manner to comfort both her and himself. "My friends?" Despite his best effort, his voice cracked.

She gave a small breath that almost sounded like a laugh and he could feel her lips curve into a smile against his shoulder. "You know… the old you never would've asked a question like that." There was a moment's pause as she let those words sink in. "They're fine. A little worse for wear but nothing their Aura can't handle."

"...You know this wasn't your fault, right Lily?" He wanted to tell her it was all his fault. The same way he had been doing all this time. Yet right now, he really didn't feel like it. He was sick of trying to pile up all that blame on himself. Would it really be so bad just this once to leave it at that?

"Yeah… I know." She gave a small nod and he felt the fingers against his back tighten and pull at the fabric. "Doesn't make this any less frustrating. Violet was right there in front of me. I had a chance to beat her, I even managed to gain the upper hand. Only to let that chance slip right through my fingers."

"That's becoming a feeling I'm unfortunately quite accustomed to." He sighed and nuzzled his cheek against her dirty blonde hair. "I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to be able to do this."

"Don't sell yourself short, Jaune." Lily pulled back, creating a small distance between them while continuing to keep her hands on his back. Her hair splayed to the side to reveal two brown eyes as she gave a warm smile. "Thanks to you showing up with your friends, I was able to bring this situation under control. Kessel… it wouldn't be here right now if not for you. Just a pile of rubble and corpses is all that would be left."

"I just wish-" The only thing he was able to see when looking at the destruction around him was his own failure. But Lily looked at it and saw what could've been a far worse disaster. "That I knew what it is they were after that any of this is necessary."

Lily shook her head. "Let's try to figure it out later. I need to get back to the gate to help wrap up this Grimm assault, and I imagine you want to stay by Joan." That was right, he had to get back to his twin and he couldn't exactly hold Lily up from her duty any longer. He also wanted to check up on the rest of his friends and make sure they were alright.

"Be careful, Lily." He gave a final small squeeze before letting the arms that had been holding her fall to his sides.

She grinned cheekily and pat him on the back. "No need to worry about me. After everything else that has gone on tonight, this will be a piece of cake. Once this is over, you and I should share a dance, for old time's sake."

"Dance?" He asked as she to walked past him.

"Well yeah." She shrugged matter of factly, not turning around. "The Grimm are being drawn here because everyone is scared. Once we get things under control, we need to throw a festival to get everyone's mood up. That's common sense when you live out in the middle of Grimm territory."

"Ah… I guess that makes sense." Domremy had always been rather close to Vale City as far as other expansions went. Not that he was opposed to the idea. At one point he would've been over the moon to dance with Lily again. That thought brought a small smile to his face.

After everything he and everyone else had been through tonight, a festival sounded like a nice idea.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** A Valentine's omake. Hopefully, you have a better one than Olivia does in this.

* * *

 **Holiday Omake**

 _Valentine's Special_

* * *

Valentine's Day was a war zone.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Creating hand-made Chocolate was a messy affair. And if there was one thing Olivia could not stand it was a mess. It was so much easier to just allow someone else to create the mess in some far away place she would never have any knowledge of. Allow some factory to make it, package it, and the people to deliver it to the store for her to buy.

That was what she believed up until now.

Jaune always seemed happy with the store-bought stuff, after all. In fact, her brother seemed to prefer it to the unusual concoctions some of their other sisters tried to present him every year. Too bad this year she wasn't getting chocolate just for him.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this…" Olivia grumbled as she stared at the scattered ingredients laid out before her. Beacon's kitchen was rather large and numerous girls were spread throughout it, using it for the same intention she had. It was taking every ounce of willpower she had not to break down and start cleaning the mess they left scattered everywhere.

"Just get it over with already, Livia." Coco lightly pat her on the behind, an act she believed was meant to be for encouragement.

"How many times do I have to ask you not to touch me there?" She gave Coco a glare with her purple eyes, Semblance unfortunately having no effect on the underclassman thanks to her damn sunglasses. "And the O in my name is not silent. It's Olivia, not Livia."

"Yeah, yeah. You going to make this chocolate already or aren't you? We even got the bunny shaped mold!" She held out a plastic rabbit outline and grinned teasingly.

"I-I object to using that!" Velvet jumped for the mold but she wasn't nearly quick enough as Coco shifted it just out of her teammate's reach. "Why can't we just make it a simple heart shape?"

"Absolutely not!" Olivia stomped her foot, facing turning beat red. "A heart… that would be just like a confession!"

"Hate to break it to you, Livia-" Oliva, not Livia."But making him chocolate at all might as well be a cue that you're interested. Although knowing him, it'll just fly over his head. Why are all the guys at this school so dense?"

Olivia let out a defeated sigh. While she didn't agree with the way Coco said things, the younger girl did make valid points. "I suppose you are right at least about getting this done. The faster we make this chocolate, the faster I can clean up."

"That's the spirit! At least, I think so." Coco pumped a fist in the air as the three girls stepped up to the counter. "And we're totally using the bunny mold."

"Why!?" Velvet looked about ready to cry, but Olivia did have to admit: The mold did look really cute.

* * *

Several hours and one mess cleaned up later, and the bunny-shaped chocolate was wrapped and prepared.

Like everything Coco had, the tinfoil wrapping she had given Olivia to use was a fashionable design of brown and gold. It didn't look very Valentine-esque, lacking any pink or heart-shapes, but she rather preferred it this way herself.

Now all she had to do was present it to him. No pressure. Velvet, sweet as she was, had offered to be with her when she did. Olivia had decided to turn down her offer, not because she didn't appreciate it. This was just something she had to do for herself. If she didn't work up the courage to handle this on her own now, when would she?

As she stood outside his dorm room, leaning against his team's door, she kept staring at the chocolate in her hands. She could do this, she could definitely do this. Finally, the heavy footfalls of the person she was waiting for reached her ears. Unconsciously she stood a little more straight, pulling back the green strands of hair and making sure her headband kept it all in place.

"Olivia? Did we have practice scheduled today?" Yatsuhashi stopped in front of her, the taller man practically towering over the short girl.

"N-No! It's not about that." Olivia quickly shook her head, green hair flying back and forth, chocolates hidden behind her back. "...Today is… uhh… today is Valentine's Day."

The tall man looked puzzled for just a moment before giving a distinct nod. "Ah, yes. I forget because we do not celebrate that where I am from. That is the one where girls give men chocolate, is it not?"

"W-well, if you know that much…" Olivia sucked in a deep breath before pulling the wrapped chocolate around her back and presenting it forward with both hands. "Here you go!" She ducked her head, trying to hide the deep blush on her face.

For several moments, nothing happened and she feared he wouldn't take it. Then she heard a small crinkle as his big hands wrapped around the package and pulled it from her grasp. "You made this?" He almost sounded impressed.

"Y-Yeah." She nodded several times, unwilling to look him in the eyes.

"I am honored." She could hear the happiness in his voice and for just a brief second allowed hope to fill her being as she mustered the courage to look up at him. "I will be sure to share this with Fox as well. I am sure he will also appreciate the sentiment." And then his next words brought all that hope crashing down.

"O-Oh… yeah. Fox too." She mumbled under her breath, shoulders deflating.

Yatsuhashi tilted his head in confusion. "I apologize. Did I misunderstand the custom?"

"No. No, it's fine." Olivia quickly shook her head. "Both of you enjoy the chocolate. Velvet and Coco helped me out with it too." She put on a fake smile as she skipped to the side, allowing him access to his room.

"I will be sure to thank them as well." Yatsuhashi gave a deep bow before stepping up to the door and unlocking it. "I look forward to our next meeting, Olivia."

"Yeah… me too." She mumbled once again as he closed the door.

Valentine's Day was a war zone. And this year… she lost that battle. She inhaled a deep breath before letting it out. With a resounding clap she smacked both cheeks with her hands. This was no time to be feeling down! Even if it wasn't exactly how she planned she still managed to give him the chocolates. Her feelings may not have reached him, but that was okay.

That just meant she was going to have to try harder next year.


	34. Reunion

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Reunion_

* * *

Waking up after be knocked unconscious wasn't a feeling Pyrrha was overly familiar with. However, it did seem to be a more regular occurrence since coming into contact with Jaune Arc.

Jaune… was he safe? What about Joan…?

Joan!

Pyrrha's eyes went wide as she shot up into a sitting position. Her brain tried to take in everything at once, but there was only one thing at that moment she truly cared about. It didn't even matter to her that she was alive and well. None of the injuries she incurred out in Forever Fall so much as ached anymore. She didn't take notice of the dimly lit, homey room she was placed in.

The only thing she saw was the girl sitting down next to her. Her partner and best friend. Joan was once again by her side, smiling awkwardly in a way only she could. "Hey there, Pyrrha." And greeted her exactly like how she always used to.

"Joan…" Pyrrha's voice cracked and the scene in front of her began to blur out of focus as tears welled in the corner of both eyes. Even so, she reached a hand forward, desperate to touch her partner… and make sure this whole thing wasn't just some wishful dream.

"Come on… don't cry." Joan's voice was strained, like she was holding back tears of her own. Two warm, gentle hands wrapped around the one Pyrrha had extended and she felt the warmth permeate through her whole body. "You know I was never good at dealing with people crying." There was no doubt about it.

This was the real Joan.

This wasn't some dream. After all this time, Pyrrha finally had her back. JNPR had their leader back.

With her free hand, she wiped away the tears before they could begin to fall and gave Joan the biggest smile she could possibly muster. "Welcome back, Joan."

Surprise flashed across the blonde's face for a moment before shifting to a smile that matched Pyrrha's own. "Yeah. I'm back."

Several full minutes of silence passed between them after that. There were so many things Pyrrha had planned to say to Joan upon reuniting with her and so many of them she still wanted to say. At the moment however, all of that felt meaningless. The only thing she wanted was to sit quietly by her partner and relish in her safe return.

Inevitably, the moment passed as several loud booms shook the room they were in and flashes lit up the window. Pyrrha instinctively straightened up, eyes already scanning for her weapon and shield. Before she could fly from the bed, Joan gave her hand a comforting squeeze, as if to tell her everything was alright.

"It's just fireworks. Look for yourself." Joan rose from her chair and gently helped Pyrrha up from the bed. The champion hadn't realized how sore all the muscles in her body were until she had to stand up. It shouldn't have been surprising, that encounter with the Grimm had been close, possibly the biggest danger she had ever been in.

With Joan's assistance, they walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains. The second they did and a bright green flash lit up the night sky. Following closely behind it was a myriad of other colors, each subsequent firework setting off a boom that rattled the the wooden sides of the structure.

"They're… celebrating?" Pyrrha tilted her head as she looked down at the streets below them, only now realizing they were on the second story of what looked like someone's home. Just outside their window was Kessel's central trading market. The lamps were brightly lit and almost the entire square was alive with activity.

"They are." Joan pulled at a latch on the window before swinging it open. The sound of cheerful music and laughter filtered into the room and the smell of delicious food made Pyrrha's mouth water as she realized just how hungry she was.

It looked like nearly all the stalls were open as numerous townsfolk bought and traded for food. In the distance, she could see the source of the music as a band played for a lively, dancing crowd. "I don't understand…" Pyrrha almost didn't realize those words had come from her.

"It's a necessity." Joan stated simply as she leaned over the windowsill. "The people here… they're terrified right now. Many of them probably want to be mourning. Their homes, possessions, loved ones… I don't think anyone was unaffected by the attack tonight." Joan's breath hitched and despite her smile, a single tear rolled down one cheek.

"An attack I was a part of." Pyrrha barely heard those words as the wind carried them away. She rested a hand on Joan's soldier, providing her with the physical support in place of words - words that Joan knew already anyways.

"Even though most of them don't feel like celebrating… everyone has to do their best and put that behind them for now. They need to at least pretend to be happy. Otherwise the Grimm will overrun this town." Pyrrha gave a small nod to show she understood. It was odd, to be sure, but it made sense.

"Your brother?" She was surprised to find Jaune not hanging off of Joan, unless he had managed to save the other two as well and was spending time with them.

Joan nodded to the crowds below. "He and Cardin left with Yatsuhashi to go find RWBY. Well, RWBY minus Blake. He insisted on staying but I told him to go. I wanted to change outta that filthy uniform anyways." Pyrrha just noticed Joan wasn't wearing her Beacon uniform anymore. It was probably for the best, as it had been caked in blood, vomit, mud, and who knew what else. Instead, Joan was now dressed in simple jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt.

It took the redhead another moment to realize that her own Mistrali combat armor was gone, replaced by a pink shirt and red shorts. She pulled lightly at the fabric, both admiring the softness between her fingers but at the same time couldn't help but thinking how frail it would be in combat. She shook her head, trying to place such thoughts of more battles to the back of her mind.

"Want to go find them?" She could think about combat and all the things she wanted to talk to Joan about later. Right now was simply supposed to be about improving their mood, and Pyrrha couldn't think of anything better than to enjoy the festivities with her partner.

Joan gave a small snort of amusement and a nod. "Yeah."

Apparently, she felt the same.

* * *

"Two cotton candies, please." Joan held up two fingers as she stepped up to the stall. Thankfully, the stall-owner didn't seem to recognize her as one of the girls that caused all the panic to begin with.

She actually had yet to run into anyone that seemed to realize who she was, whether that be even a subtle recoil or an outright declaration. Somehow, it would appear that it had been kept pretty underwraps. "Here ya are, missy. Free of charge."

"Huh?" Joan tilted her head, not quite understanding the man's generosity as he handed her the two sticks of cotton candy.

"Your Joan Arc, ain't'cha?" Shoulders tensed at the question. "Y'all really saved us when you came and kicked the White Fang out. Heard all the awful stuff they be sayin' 'bout you girls on the news. Don't you worry your lil' head 'bout none of that, though. We know none of it is true. The people of Kessel… we're all your allies."

Joan's mouth opened and then closed. She… didn't know what to say. This whole time she'd been so scared someone would yell at her, curse her, blame her, yet not a single person here felt that way. In the end, all that blame was just in her own head. As she realized this, her gaping mouth formed a small smile. "Thanks."

She took ahold of the sticks- Two men screaming as they turned into light before disintegrated into particles flashed across her eyes- The sudden image nearly startled her into dropping them, but the stall-owner managed to maintain the grip. "You alright there? Look like you've seen a ghost."

"I- I'm fine." Joan quickly shook her head, accepting the cotton candy. "Thanks again." She turned away quickly, hoping not to trigger another memory. That was unfortunately all the proof she needed. Even if the people of Kessel forgave her, they really shouldn't. She had turned two of their protectors to light fragments with her own two hands. Not even a body left behind. Who else... had she done that too?

"Joan?" So lost in thought, she didn't even realize she'd already reached Pyrrha until her partner called out in concern. Joan quickly tried to wipe away the contemplative look, putting on her most convincing fake smile possible.

"They gave it to me for free." She said with perhaps a little too much glee. Pyrrha surely noticed she was just putting on a show. How couldn't she?

"That's grand." Even so, Pyrrha played along, taking one of the sticks from Joan's hands and taking a bite of the fluffy pink goodness. Joan could see it in her emerald eyes, the constant concern and worry. Neither of them spoke a word about it, just trying to enjoy the festive mood around them instead, yet the whole time it felt fake. Because in the end, there was that lingering thought in the back of both their minds.

Joan wanted to know… it almost felt like she had to know: What happened to Nora? Had that brief image she saw of her been something that happened… the only way to know was to ask. And Joan was afraid to know. So she didn't ask.

"Ah! Pyrrha! Joan!" It felt like it had been a long time since Joan heard that excitable voice that called them from down the street. Following closely behind the shout was a predictable gust of wind and the scattering of rose petals. The two taller girls were nearly bowled over as Ruby collided into them, wrapping them both equally in a tight hug.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha recovered first and smiled awkwardly down at the young girl. Joan didn't know what to say at first. What would be appropriate in this situation? Ruby was the first friend Joan had ever gone out and made. Would something simple be enough? She didn't know but she had to say something.

"Hey Ruby… long time no see?" The end came out as more of a question than a statement. Truthfully, she had no idea how long it had been since she last saw Ruby.

The little reaper girl looked up at her incredulously, silver eyes shining brightly and looking any moment like she might break into tears. Yet in contrast, a huge grin broke across the lower part of her face before Ruby buried it into Joan's shirt. "Yeah… it's been awhile… dummy." Her voice was muffled, but Joan knew without a doubt now that she was crying as the front of her shirt became wet with tears.

"You made us worry, you dunce. I hope you're prepared to pay the consequences for that." Standing just behind her partner, arms crossed and head held high, was Weiss Schnee. Joan had to admit, she never thought there would come a day she was so happy to see her.

"You missed me and you know it, Snow Angel." Joan winked jokingly as Weiss' face twisted in a scowl.

"Please do not refer to me by that dreadful nickname that blue-haired jerk came up with." Despite it all, it looked like Weiss was doing her best to refrain from a smile of her own. That much was enough for Joan.

"Where's your sister?" Joan asked as Ruby finally began to pull away from her, rubbing away a couple stray tears.

"I'm hurt. I know it's been awhile but you don't even recognize me?" Joan had to double-take, not believing that Yang's voice came from just next to Weiss. The girl standing there was undoubtedly Yang… yet at the same time it wasn't. Not when her precious hair was cut so short, looking more like Ruby's now.

"Y-Yang- I didn't even- I mean…" Joan's voice trailed off as she stared at her fellow blonde.

"Courtesy of your eldest sister." Yang held up a hand and flicked out one of the blonde locks on the back of her head. Joan knew the motion was supposed to direct her attention to it more, but instead it brought its focus to a red, jagged line that stretched across the middle of Yang's neck.

She regret it immediately as a small flicker of shame crossed Yang's lilac eyes. Before either of them could comment further on it, Ruby tugged excessively at Joan's sleeve. "H-hey! We should totally talk about weapons."

"...Weapons?" Joan knew Ruby wasn't the best at conversation transitions, but that had to be one of the worst attempts she ever heard.

This didn't stop her from nodding quickly. "Have you thought about what kind you want to replace Crocea Mors with? I know you always wanted one that shifted into a gun like Pyrrha's." A new weapon? Joan hadn't thought about something like that at all. She wasn't even sure if she had come to terms yet with the fact that Crocea Mors was gone… or that it had been a super-sadistic psychopath Hellbent on ruining her life this whole time.

"Actually… about that." Surprisingly, it was Pyrrha that responded, twirling around her stick of cotton candy awkwardly as her emerald eyes darted between the two of them. "Joan… I don't know what you plan to do. I suppose it's possible you may even want to quit Beacon."

Wait, wait. What was this about quitting? Again, they were talking about things she hadn't had time to consider in the slightest.

"Regardless of what you do… I want you to take Milo and Akouo."

"Pyrrha, wait." Joan held up a hand, trying to bid her to slow down. "What are you talking about? Why give me Milo and Akouo? Those are your… you made those yourself. They're your treasures. You became the Mistral Regional Champion with them."

"And I want you to have them." Pyrrha took a step closer, placing a hand on Joan's shoulder. "You can do whatever you want with them. Use them to fight Grimm, hang them above a mantle place, even smelt them to build yourself a new weapon. Just… take them. As a token of our friendship."

"O-okay." Joan had no idea what had gotten into her partner, but if she was going to say it with such conviction then she couldn't possibly turn her down. It was true she had always been rather fond of that shifting xiphos and hoplon. "I'll take it." Whether for battle or not, she would figure out later.

"Then what are you going to do, Pyrrha?" Ruby looked up at the champion expectantly.

"Well… I was actually hoping to get your help with that." Pyrrha looked hesitant to continue, probably having not expected to talk about this now. Once Ruby started talking about weapons though, there was usually no getting out of it. "I came up with a design already, but I would like your expert opinion on some of the functions. If that isn't too much trouble?"

Ruby's eyes were practically sparkling. "Oh… tell me, tell me! I need to know all about it!" It was incredibly hard for Joan not to laugh at the helpless expression on Pyrrha's face as the smaller girl about overwhelmed her with sheer enthusiasm. As discreetly as possible, Joan slipped away from the two of them, pretending not to notice the betrayed expression on her partner's face as she did.

"Good to see some things haven't changed." She stopped just short of Weiss and Yang, casting a sideways smirk at the two of them.

"I'll be surprised if she ever changes." Weiss gave an exasperated sigh as she watched her partner. The three of them could only look on at poor Pyrrha as Ruby talked a mile a minute at her, trying to get as much information about the new weapon idea as possible. It was only after this time, Joan finally registered that their group was short.

"Where's my bro?" She looked around for any sign of him, despite realizing if he was nearby he would've made his presence known.

"The others dragged him off gambling while we waited at the barber for Yang to get her hair trimmed up." Weiss hiked a thumb towards the central part of the market. "They should be somewhere on the outskirts of the dancing ring." Joan could see the throbbing mass of people moving in beat to the music from here, which meant Jaune couldn't be too far.

"I'll head with you to look for him if you want. He and I need to have a chat anyway." Yang turned to where Weiss had pointed, lilac eyes scanning the crowd.

Joan had no idea what kind of talk she was talking about, but Weiss seemed to know as she gave a disapproving glare. "If he wanted to talk about it, he would've already. Maybe… we should just leave this one alone?"

It didn't look like Weiss' words had any effect on the brawler as she set off. "One way to find out, let's go."

Still confused, Joan looked to Weiss for answers only for the heiress to simply wave her off. "You better go after her if you wanna know. I'm going to stay behind and make sure this dolt doesn't suffocate poor Pyrrha." With that, Weiss took off towards both their partners.

Joan looked back at them, locking eyes with Pyrrha for a brief moment and trying to convey her intent with that brief interaction. It didn't look like it had much effect, but Joan turned anyways, jogging to catch up to her fellow blonde.

Whatever business Yang had with her twin, Joan had a feeling she should be there for it.

* * *

Yang hated the evasive looks everyone kept shooting her way. Turning heads wasn't exactly something she was new to, but this was different.

She had been forced to abandon her old muffler, jacket, and shirt; the articles of clothing having been doused heavily in blood. Now she simply wore an orange shirt that was clearly too small, if the aching of her chest was any indication. Not that any of the guys seemed to mind. At least, they didn't mind until their eyes trailed up to get a look at the face of the girl walking around with such gauntlets.

Only most times their eyes never actually made it to her face, stopping at the new, jagged scar that adorned her neck. Once they saw that, most of them were quick to turn away, pretending they hadn't seen anything at all. It might've been one thing if it were only a single guy or two, but it happened almost every freaking time. Yang was really starting to wish she found a new muffler to replace the one that had been ruined. As she had that thought, another occurred to her.

Was this… how Jaune felt whenever other people looked at his hands? The shame and humiliation he felt when others averted their eyes, as if to deny the existence of them altogether; like it was easier to forget something that made them uncomfortable rather than face it? Was this what she made him feel the first time she saw those hands?

"You're being awfully quiet." Yang stopped to look at Joan, who had been trailing the whole time about two stops behind her. It was kind of awkward. Joan and Yang had always gotten along alright, but that was mostly because Joan was the first new friend Ruby had made. Then they both became leaders and supported one another in that sense as well.

So Yang always liked Joan, but more as a friend of her sister's, than as a personal friend of her own. Now that she was alone with her for what may have been the first time ever… she realized how little the two of them had to actually talk about.

Only that wasn't entirely true, either. They had so much to talk about now it wasn't even funny. Since the day Joan had been taken over and her family became so much larger in Yang's eyes. She had always known Joan had siblings… but never seven of them. Least of all a twin with messed up scars on his hands.

She could always ask Joan about the glyphs. There was no need to bring it up to Jaune, make him experience whatever it was he felt when they were brought into the limelight. If it had been before now, Yang wouldn't have even considered this option. Having a scar of her own that people looked away from… put things like that in perspective.

"I'm sorry about what Violet did." Joan continued after Yang didn't answer. "I know you were quite fond of your hair." That was an understatement. "I hope… you'll be able to forgive her. This wasn't her fault. This was just…" Her voice trailed off and she averted her eyes.

Yang let out a tired sigh and turned to look in the same direction Joan had. They were right on the outskirts of the dancing crowd now, just by the band that was playing. The music was makeshift and obviously thrown together last second, an odd combination of brass and string mixing together as they played something upbeat for everyone in an attempt to lift their mood.

"You stupid twins." She mumbled under her breath, too quietly for Joan to hear. As blue eyes turned back to her, Yang spoke in a small shout to be heard. "I already know it's not Violet's fault. You're the third sister we've freed now and I saw how different Crocea Mors was from the usual you. Both you and that twin of yours need to quit trying to bear the whole weight of the world on your shoulders."

A brief look of astonishment flashed across Joan's face before being replaced by a contemplative smile. "Thanks… Yang. I'll try, but no promises."

That could be the end of their conversation. If Yang wanted, she could turn around right now and proceed to look for the guys of their team. Ask Jaune personally. Unconsciously, she rubbed the scar on her neck, and as she felt the jagged groove of the red mark, her mind was made up. "Do you mind… if I ask you something personal?"

Yang gestured towards an alley at the edge of the market place, stepping into the dark confines of the narrow pathway between houses. "No… I suppose not?" Joan dipped into it with her, the darkness of the building overshadowing their faces and upper torsos. The buildings also had the desired effect of deflecting at least some of the music, allowing them to speak at a more normal volume.

"It's actually about your brother." It was hard to tell through the shadow, but it looked like there was a bit of hesitation in Joan's eyes before she gave a short nod. "When we were fighting Violet… she told us some things. I just want to make sure I understand exactly what it was she was trying to get at."

"Okay…" Joan's weight shifted and Yang noticed her run a hand through her blonde hair, pushing a row of locks behind an ear.

"Jaune's Shatter Glyphs." Yang waited for a reaction but Joan gave none. "I get that he had the markings for them inscribed on his hands so he could break the swords. I don't exactly agree with that crap, but I get it. We wouldn't even have a chance of breaking those swords if it hadn't been done. Here's the thing I don't get, though. Violet talked about Jaune's glyphs and his Semblance… like they were somehow the same thing. In fact, she went as far as to say there was no distinction between them. What… what's up with that?"

"..." For several seconds after Yang finished her question, Joan didn't say anything. Then all at once she let out a sigh so long it sounded like she was emptying every drop of breath she had. "I see. So he never told you."

Yang's teeth grit so hard she heard a small crack. Before she even realized what she was doing she had grabbed Joan by the collar of her shirt and had the shorter girl's back pushed up against the wall. "What exactly are you trying to say?" It was with a barely restrained shout she asked that.

"...There are only two requirements to be branded a glyph bearer." If it bothered Joan at all that Yang had pushed her up against a wall, she didn't show it. "Do you know what they are?"

"Huh?" Yang wasn't having this talk so Joan could be the one to ask the questions. How should she know that? Wait a second… hadn't Jaune said something like that when he first met them? That was right. Cardin had wanted to be inscribed so he could break the swords too.

What had Jaune said when he told them that wouldn't be possible? "You have to be born an Arc… and-" Yang's eyes widened as the memory hit her. "Your Aura can't be unlocked."

Joan nodded. "That's exactly right. The reason for that is… because the Shatter Glyphs forcibly unlock your Aura… and then become your Semblance." She didn't sound particularly sad nor happy as she said this. More just like a robot reciting some textbook databank.

"What the Hell is that!?" Had the person shoved up against the wall been anyone other than a friend of hers, Yang would've obliterated the bricks right next to her head. "Shit!" She released Joan and stepped away, afraid of what she might do if didn't. "Your family… just how screwed up are you people?"

"When you put it that way…" Joan held up her own hand and seemed to stare at the back of it, almost like she was imagining what they would look like if the glyphs had been put on her hands and not her twins. "...it almost feels like karma that the swords took us over, doesn't it?"

Yang didn't know about karma, divine retribution or any of that shit, but in a way it was a damn good thing the swords were finally being broken. Without them, there wouldn't be anymore need for such a messed up practice. In fact, this probably should've been done centuries ago… whether those swords were a contribution to humanity or not.

"This whole time… I was trying to figure out how he could be so stupid as to think his one and only purpose was to live for you girls." Yang ran an aggravated hand through her shortened hair, momentarily surprised when it stopped just before her shoulders. "It finally makes sense now. I'm almost surprised he has any sense of self at all."

"I...I wanted Jaune to come to Beacon with me. I wanted him to train at Signal. Maybe if as his twin I had pushed harder…"

"Oh, would you stop that shit!" Yang stomped her foot. "What did I just tell you about taking everything on by yourself? This isn't your fault or his. That's what pisses me off the most. There's no one alive that I can blame or punch in the face for all this."

"You're… surprisingly close to my brother."

"Huh?" Yang looked up, a little taken aback by the befuddled way those words just left Joan's mouth. Both blondes were looking at one another with equal parts incredulity.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone not our sisters get this mad for Jaune since…" Joan trailed off once again. "Nevermind, forget I said anything." She averted her eyes and looked back outside the alley.

"Whatever." It wasn't like Yang particularly wanted to talk about this anymore anyways. "Let's go find him and the others already." She kicked a small rock, lobbing it deeper into the darkness before turning to walk back out.

"You're not going to bring it up with him, are you?" There was no small amount of concern in Joan's voice. Needless concern, if you asked Yang.

"No. I'm not." She honestly didn't have the energy to hear him say the same thing again. It was just exhausting, knowing how much those scars on his hands hurt him and how little there was she could do about it.

"I'm relieved to hear that." Joan skipped up next to her, falling in line as they stepped back out into the lanterns' light. "It kind of feels like you've been looking after Jaune, just like our big sister's would."

"Big sister… yeah." Yang mumbled under her breath, again too quietly for Joan to hear over the music. As they renewed their search for Jaune, she couldn't help but wonder if that was how he saw her too?

As another sister to protect?

* * *

 **Chapter End  
**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** This is the first chapter I've posted since Volume Three ended... and does the timing feel awkward.

First off, this chapter opens with Pyrrha being alive and waking up to her partner waiting for her. So that's already notable right there. Second, I thought I was being all evil and stuff by giving Yang this new scar across her throat... but no, Canon had to one-up me there and take off a whole arm. Well then, I certainly know my place now. Again, this story is pretty AU, so changes like Pyrrha's death and Yang's arm won't factor into this story at all, nor will any of the Maiden stuff or the reveal of the new big bad, Salem.

Just figured I would mention that, now onto the omake.

* * *

 **Omake 29**

 _Bar Night_

* * *

"I swear, it's like all my colleagues are just as young as the students we're supposed to be guiding!" Ciel snickered loudly as Glynda Goodwitch slammed down the empty beer glass with an audible clack against the wooden bartop.

"Good 'ol Pete still sneaking Grimm into the classroom, I take it?" Ciel lifted her own glass a took a healthy gulp of the hoppy liquid.

"Peter Port is just the beginning of it all!" Glynda nodded for the bartender to bring her another, although Ciel was hardly sure that was a good idea. It wasn't like she could stop the older woman either as the glass was placed in front of her. In a single motion, the normally strict, ever uptight Goodwitch downed half of it.

Ciel raised a blue eyebrow, impressed by the way Glynda was putting them down. Not to be outclassed - especially considering she was in the prime drinking age of twenty-two - she downed the rest of her drink and signaled for another.

"Fucking- I mean freaking Barsolu- Bar- Bart!" Glynda failed to properly slur out Doctor Oobleck's entire first name, and in a maybe once-in-a-lifetime occurrence settled for the shortened version. "That coffee obsessed maniac thought it would be acceptable to try and feed one of Peter's numerous squirrelled away Grimm some of his 'special coffee!' We had a fire-breathing King Taijitu nearly burn down the entire east wing! And do you know who had to take responsibility and clean that up?"

"W-wait-" Ceil spun on her barstool to look Glynda in eyes, only to have the world blur for several seconds. Once her vision refocused she couldn't help but notice how red the blonde's cheeks had tinted. Wait, no… focus on what she was trying to say, not the complexion of her face. "You… you can say responsibility while drunk but you can't say Bartholomew?"

"Me! I had to clean it up!" Glynda seemed to ignore Ciel's comment completely as she continued her tirade, before adding on as if in afterthought. "And I'm hardly drunk. I've only had like two drinks."

"Seven." The bartender corrected, earning a glare from both women. He backed away, holding both hands in the air.

"What's he know?" Ciel waved towards him dismissively as she tilted her own glass back up, once again downing the beer which seemed to be flowing easier and easier. Glynda nodded in agreement as she finished her drink.

The bartender brought them both another before silently retreating to his other customers.

"Why hello, ladies!" Ciel felt her skin crawl as a hand groped uncomfortably close to her posterior. She clenched both fists together, prepared to deck the creep as she turned, only to be surprised by a rather handsome, rugged face and a charming smile. One that was nostalgic of her times at Signal.

"Get your hands off me, Qrow!" Glynda swatted at the man's arm, missing by a mile.

"Fine, fine." The man took a step away, nearly stumbling backwards and falling to his butt in the process. Drunk too, then. "Besides, I was hardly talking to you but this wonderful young lady friend you've found yourself here." Qrow winked suggestively and Ciel felt her own cheeks grow warmer as a shy grin crossed her face.

"She used to be your student, you pedophile!" Glynda reached into the folds of her jacket, fumbling for something.

Qrow let out a low whistle as he straightened out in surprise. "Seriously? Well damn, you sure grew up."

He didn't get to say another word as a purple glow encased his whole body. A second later and he was flying across the room with a loud yelp. With a loud crash, he collapsed onto a circular table on the other side of the bar.

"Bartender." Glynda finished her latest drink in one, long gulp. "We'll be cashing out. Leave our bill to that drunk napping on your table." The poor man could only nod as quickly as possible, wide eyes glued to her still deployed riding crop.

Ciel couldn't help but snicker again as she finished her last drink and the two of them began to stumble towards the door. "Let me call us a cab." Ciel reached for the scroll in her pocket as they stepped into the cool night air of Vale city.

The road was almost completely empty, even for a main street as most of the residents of their fair city slept comfortably. Ciel looked down at her scroll, the buttons and numbers an absolute blur as she looked for the app to ping them a taxi.

"Ciel… how'sh your family?" Glynda mumbled tiredly, head lulling against Ciel's shoulder as her body slumped.

"Whoa there." Ciel clung to her former teacher, holding her upright with one hand while trying to navigate her scroll with the other. "They're all fine. Why do you ask?" Finally she managed to hit the right button, after failing to accurately hit it the first couple tries. With a small ding, it confirmed that a cab was on its way to their location.

"You're sho lucky…" Glynda slurred, pushing her face up against Ciel's ear. "Having such a big family that loves and cares for you."

Ciel let out a small, self-depreciating smile as those words. "Yeah… I really do have the best family. It's too bad… I never managed to form a bond like that with anyone at Beacon. In the end, my whole team wound up hating me."

"I don't hate you, Ciel. No matter how much trouble you caused, nor how many times I was forced to take time out of my life to discipline you." Glynda's voice was getting softer and softer, and the blonde was nearly draped over Ciel now who had to put all her muscles to work just to support her old teacher's body weight. "It was never something I found inconvenient."

"I know that already." Ciel's smile grew a little more natural as she turned her head just enough to see Glynda's eyes drooping closed.

"I mean it…" Glynda whispered, almost breathlessly. "To me… you're like the daughter I never had." Unconsciously, Ciel squeezed a little more tightly. Even if she wouldn't remember those words come morning, at this moment she could acknowledge them.

"For the record, Glynda… you'd make a great mom."


	35. Past and Present

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Past and Present_

* * *

"Come on seven!" With a flick of the wrist Cardin sent two red die scuttling across the concrete. They hit a wooden board set up as a makeshift barricade before bouncing back into the center, both coming to rest while displaying sixes. "Damn it!"

A chorus of laughter echoed around their gathering and Jaune could admit with surprise that his own chuckle joined them all. He had to say, this was pretty fun. Not that he was gambling much, and thankfully so as he watched Cardin pay up to the Kessel guards that had bet against him.

With his luck, he would probably lose every roll. Speaking of which- "Your turn, Mr Jaune." The guard next to him passed the die over.

"Ah, I better not." He held up the back of his exposed hand. On top of the scars, the skin was peeled and blistered. Thanks to his Aura and a special medical gel he wasn't feeling much pain anymore but even picking up something as simple as dice was an impossibility at the moment.

"Nonsense, just ask your bodyguard to throw for you, we'll allow it!" Several cries of agreement followed the suggestion. Jaune tilted his head in confusion. Bodyguard? What bodyguard? The faunus must have noticed his confusion and gestured to the tall man next to him.

"Yatsu?" Jaune glanced at the samurai who simply shrugged. "He's not my bodyguard. He's my… friend."

"Could have fooled me." Seriously, not helping Cardin. "Just put down a bet and shoot already, Mr Bodyguard!"

Jaune opened his mouth to protest further but the gentle hand of Yatsuhashi on his shoulder silenced anything he was about to say. "In the spirit of fun, I do not see how it could hurt to play a little." Well… this _was_ a festival.

"Fine, fine." Jaune relented with a nod. Yatsuhashi pulled several bills of lien out and threw them on the ground, earning cheers from all around them.

"Drinks, boys?" Before any more wagers could be made, a pretty cat faunus came around, hefting a big case of bottled beer. The cheering renewed with even more vigour than before. In a matter of moments, the case was ripped open and the bottles were passed around, one of them landing right in Jaune's crossed lap.

The blonde could only shake his head. Weren't these guys still on active duty? That didn't seem to stop them. All their constant chattering was momentarily halted, bottles turned high. "Let me help you with that." Yatsuhashi reached over and popped the lid off Jaune's own.

"You too!?" He looked at the taller man in surprise, finding he had joined in with the rest of them. He hadn't really taken Yatsuhashi for a drinker before.

"It was a hard fought battle. We all deserve some leisure." The samurai rolled his shoulders, rubbing at the white bandages that covered his whole torso. Violet had really done a number on him by the looks of thing. She wasn't called the strongest of his sisters for nothing, that was for sure.

"Spoken like a true man!" Cardin thumped Yatsuhashi roughly. "Speaking of hard battles… have I told y'all about how I took on those three Ursa?"

Bemused groans and several cries of "Three times already!" were his immediately answer.

Jaune snorted and shook his head. These guys were way too lively. Not that it was a bad thing… he really appreciated the upbeat atmosphere, actually. It helped take his mind off other things. Looking down at the beer again, he gave a small shrug. Why the heck not?

He reached down, placing a wrist on either side of the bottle and hefting it up with practiced ease. It had been a long time since his hands hurt so badly he had to resort to this. "There you go!" It was so funny how excited they got about it he nearly spit the beer out before it even went down his throat.

"I see how it is-" Unfortunately, the voice behind him had just that very effect as he coughed and sputtered, spraying the golden liquid all over his shorts and shirt. "You can drink with these guys but when I buy you a drink, it's no good?"

"Y-Yang!" He whirled around to find the other blonde towering over him, arms crossed below her breasts and huge, teasing grin on her face. This was the first time he had seen her since they split into groups, but he was at least partially prepared for her new appearance thanks to a warning from Yatsuhashi.

Even so, nothing had prepared him for seeing her with hair so short. His brain raced a mile a minute, urging him to say something, anything, to show that he didn't think poorly of her new style. "You look really cute with short hair!"

"..."

Please no. Tell him those were not the words that just came out of his traitorous mouth. "Bro… did you really just say that?" Joan only confirmed his nightmare with an expression that looked both horrified for his life and disappointed in his lack of tact. Yang loved her long hair. There was no way she wanted to be complimented for losing it.

Yang stared down at him in silent contemplation for several terrifying seconds. Then all at once she crouched down so she was at eye level, open palm extending up and over her head. He flinched, eyes squeezing shut as he waited for the inevitable slap. Only instead to feel her pat him lightly on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Jaune." His eyes creaked back open to find Yang smiling at him softly, and he couldn't be sure, but what looked like an appreciative look in her lilac orbs. "Don't think this means I'm letting you off for not drinking with me." She then gave him a teasing shove and he grinned at the jest.

"Wouldn't dream of it." That much he could live with, just glad she wasn't offended by his compliment. He really did think she looked cute like this. Not that she wasn't always attractive, but there was something about the shorter, more controlled look he found more appealing than the long, untameable locks she once had.

With her now crouched at eye level, the next thing he inevitably ended up noticing was the new, fresh jagged line spanning the entire front of her throat. His eyes flickered to it, only for the most miniscule of seconds, but it was enough for her to notice.

He could see it in her eyes and the rest of her face. It was almost like it happened in slow motion: lips spreading into a thin, worried line, shoulders tensing as they braced for a negative reaction, and her eyes resolving themselves to not let the sting show.

How many times had he made that exact same expression? How many times had he had to emotionally prepare himself for the reaction he knew was going to come? Probably every time someone new got a look at his hands for the first time. He had gone through it the first time she had saw them. That was something he was resolved not to put her through.

So instead of flinching away, or averting his eyes, he held a steady gaze. And reached for the scar, not quickly enough to startle her yet with a very deliberate purpose. His hand paused, just a hair's breadth short of touching it. "You're going to have one Hell of a story to tell people when they ask about how you got that."

"Excuse me?" The trepidation in Yang's gaze was replaced by confusion.

His first response was to smile. "Well yeah. Think about it. When people point at your new scar, you'll be able to hold your chin out proudly as you tell them how you got it. You got that fighting Violet Arc… the strongest Arc born in over a hundred years. You went toe to toe against her, all to protect the innocent people of Vale's furthest successful colony. Thanks to your efforts today, the people were saved and my sisters forced to retreat. That sounds pretty badass to me."

In what was a rare reversal, it was Jaune that left Yang speechless as she stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes and an unhinged jaw.

"Damn, missy. I'm jealous." She had yet to find her voice as one of the Kessel guards he had just been gambling with crouched down next to them. "Looky here at this bad boy!" He flexed his exposed bicep, showing off a hideous gash. "Got this one taking a nap while on farm watching duty… how lame does that sound!" He gave a loud bark of laughter.

"Please, that's nothing." Another one of them stood up and proudly displayed his crooked nose. "I used to have a great, beautiful sniffer, you know? Big mistake, underestimating the Commander and thinking she was a weak, little puppy! Next thing I know Fetch permanently re-scrambled my face."

The rest of them all began jumping into their crazy, exaggerated tales, all at once, most of them talking over one another. One guard pulled off his shirt completely and began gesturing to at least a dozen marks that littered his back, recalling each one with fond enthusiasm. The whole time and Yang could only watch with a stunned expression.

"See? Doesn't sound so bad now, right?" He gave her the most encouraging smile he could muster. In a way, it felt like he finally understood what his father had been trying to tell him all those years ago. No matter what, his father had always encouraged Jaune not to hide his hands… and to show them off proudly. They were marks he got in order to protect his sisters, after all. That was something he had never been capable of doing… too ashamed by the horrified gazes of others.

Maybe now that he understood a little better, he could make strides to take those words to heart? Especially seeing as he was using those very words to try and cheer Yang up. Which thankfully, seemed to actually be working as a satisfied, comfortable grin formed.

"You know, every once in awhile… you say some pretty good things, Lady Killer." Once again she lifted an arm and pat him roughly on the shoulder, but this time he could feel as her touch lingered a few moments longer, before gently gliding off.

"Only once in awhile?" He pretended to be hurt, but if his own smile was any indication, it was a poor attempt at best.

"I would say only once in a _great_ while, if I remember correctly." Leave it to Lily to pop up at the perfect opportunity to get in a shot like that. He swear she planned it, sometimes. Any thought of complaint on his lips died when he turned to look at her.

She looked so much like she did the first day he ever met her at Beacon's Vytal Dance all those years ago. Her normally, moppy, dirty blonde hair was combed straight, none of the usual strands poking out every which way. Like always, however, her brown eyes were still obscured. Forgoing her former combat attire, she now wore a sleeveless white dress and separate sleeves on either arm, leaving only shoulders exposed.

"C-Commander!" All of the guards quickly shot to their feet (the one who removed his shirt struggling to put it back) and gave her a rigid salute, to which she only laughed and waved them down.

"You guys are always so uptight. Enjoy your break while you can and don't worry about protocols. The Grimm are still scratching at the gates so you better be well rested when it's your turn to relieve the first group."

"Yes, ma'am!" All of them shouted, yet none of them moved so much as a muscle and continued to stand rigid whilst in her presence. The whole image was incredibly funny to Jaune and he had a hard time not laughing. Lily had always been such an energetic, playful person it was hard to imagine her commanding this kind of respect from anyone, let alone an entire battalion of trained soldiers.

She let out a tired sigh at their behavior before once more grinning at him. "Hope you didn't forget about our promise." He felt his cheeks heat up, the memory from earlier surfacing. He had still been trying to wrap his mind around everything that happened at the time so it really didn't register, but he had been holding Lily rather tightly. If he thought about it hard enough, he could still recall the scent of her shampoo.

Doing his best to shake the thoughts loose, he rose to his feet. "You kidding? I've been waiting eight years for another chance to dance with you."

As he turned to apologize to Yatsuhashi and Cardin for leaving their game, they both waved him off. "Go and enjoy yourself you lucky bastard."

"Lady Killer is about to bust a move? Now this I've gotta see." Yang stood up next to him, flicking her shorter blonde hair to the side. Jaune opened his mouth to say that was okay, but was surprised when Lily leaned up against him, wrapping an arm through his.

"Ah… sorry, sorry." Lily gave a cheeky, definitely teasing grin. Her grip on him tightened as she pressed her breasts up against the side of his arm. He had no chance of containing the deep blush that quickly spread across both cheeks. "But do you mind if I have Jaune alone for awhile?"

It wasn't Yang, but rather all of Lily's men who gave what sounded like strangled cries. Wh-what!?" Their mouths flapped up and closed. Jaune could see their apparent confusion and was pretty sure he already knew what kind of thoughts their brains were formulating.

"Oh." Yang looked taken aback by Lily's bluntness and her eyes darted to the arm she was gripping. For a moment, he wondered if maybe she was feeling a little jealous. In fact, he hated to admit it, but part of him kind of wished she was. So it hurt a little when her usual teasing grin returned. "My, my, Jaune. You really are a Lady Killer tonight, aren't you?"

"Ah, no, it's not like that." He quickly tried to wave it off but didn't get the chance as Lily pulled him along.

"We'll talk to y'all later!" She called over her shoulder. He was excited to dance with Lily again, there was no doubt about that. Yet he couldn't help but look back at Yang one more time as he left her behind. As their eyes made contact, hers slid closed and she gave a cheery smile and wave.

She really didn't seem to mind. Not that he supposed that was any kind of surprise. He wasn't sure what the Hell he was even thinking starting to entertain thoughts like that to begin with. He had his sisters to think about right now.

At that thought, eyes drifted to Joan who had been right next to Yang the whole time. One of her hands was extended and mouth slightly ajar as she watched him go. Having freed her just earlier, the two of them hadn't gotten a chance to sit down and really talk yet.

That was something he hoped to fix before the end of the night.

* * *

"You're looking pretty out of it, Jaune." Lily's movements slowed to a stop, the latest song coming to an end. "Don't tell me you're letting an old lady like myself wear you down?"

Jaune wiped a couple beads of sweat away from his forehead. "I can do this all night." He certainly talked big, but the shortness of breath in his voice said otherwise. Fortunately for him, a song slower in tempo played next.

Now that Lily really began to pay attention to her surroundings, the crowd had begun to thin out as the people grew tired and turned in for the night. Aside from maybe two dozen other couples, it was just them in what once had been a group of several hundred.

How long had it been since she just allowed herself to have such mindless fun that she forgot her duty? Probably since the last time she'd saw Violet, really. She smiled gratefully at him as they stepped close to one another, his weak, maimed hands gripping hers in a gentle squeeze. Unconsciously, her fingers traced the lines of the exposed scars.

"What's up?" He asked with a tilt of the head. She looked up at him, not responding right away.

"Just thinking about the first time you and I danced together. You were shorter than me back then." Now he practically towered over her. It was crazy how many things had changed in the span of eight years.

Jaune gave a small, mirthful chuckle. "Violet was pretty angry. She left me alone for one second to get us some punch and you swooped in." Lily joined in his laughter.

"That was the first time I had ever seen my own partner make that kind of happy expression. Of course I was going to interrogate you the first chance I got. Not my fault you went and got a crush on me along the way." His face heat up, voice unable to deny what she said.

It was really kind of cute, that she could still get that kind of reaction out of him after all these years. Even though his feelings for her had long since changed and matured, she supposed there would always be some lingering affection.

"Speaking of which-" She continued with a suggestive grin. "- I can't help but notice the way you look and talk to that Yang girl. Something I should know?"

"T-that's not-" He tried and failed to sputter out some kind of excuse, before just settling into a deep pout. "I don't know what you're talking about." He muttered under his breath. Too bad for him her hearing was exceptionally good.

"I think you do~!" She drawled and poked him in the cheek with an index finger. "I'm a little sad to find out you're moving on, but alas, as fate would have it, you and I just cannot be!" She twirled dramatically, pulling him along.

"Fate has nothing to do with it!" He shot back without missing a beat. "And I'll have you know I had a girlfriend a couple years ago." Ah yes, she remembered that pretty well. Violet wouldn't shut up about it for weeks. It was so cute listening to her rant about this and that, worrying constantly about what this new girl might do to Jaune. Sadly, in the end her fears hadn't been completely unfounded.

"Well what d'you say then? Since you have _so_ much dating experience, you should ask Yang out while you can. She's pretty hot, so I bet it won't be long before some other guy sweeps her up if you're not quick about it."

"It- It's not that simple. I need to focus all my efforts on saving my sisters. I can't just go up and add relationship drama to the mix. It hardly seems like the time." She wondered how much of that was actually him just thinking about how things ended with Reese. "If you're so interested in setting us up, why didn't you want her to come along? I thought you wanted to talk about something important."

"Oh, that?" Lily shook her head, dirty blonde hair waving from side to side. "No, no. I just wanted to see how she would react is all. Gotta admit, she certainly didn't disappoint."

"You did it just to see her reaction!?" She loved how surprised he always got about little things like that.

"Of course I did. Weren't you at least a little curious about whether or not she'd object to me stealing you away?" Blue eyes averted to the side, confirming without words that she was exactly right. "Well then, you're in luck. I think she's probably interested in you too."

"And how do you figure that?" Jaune looked down at her in disbelief. "Yang's kind of… obstinate. If she wants something, she's usually pretty quick to go get it."

"I hear everything that goes on in this town, remember?" Lily's dog ears perked up for emphasis. "And I may have been privy to a conversation or two." Namely a couple where Yang both defended Jaune from Ostrum Tempus and got enraged when talking to Joan about the glyphs.

"Really? What'd she say?" Despite his earlier denials and excuses, he was quite eager to find out exactly what she thought about him.

Lily pretended to look like she considered the answer for a second before holding a single finger against her lips. "Secret!" She couldn't help but giggle at his astounded reaction. "If you want to know, maybe you should ask her yourself?"

"I should've known with you..." Once more he grumbled under his breath, all too audibly for her.

"Hey, seriously, though." She squeezed the hand she was holding a little more tightly, careful not to cause him any pain or discomfort. "I really do think she's interested. I might not know her as well as you, but I knew girls like her back when I was at Beacon. She may have hesitated on calling out to stop you tonight… but that's because she's earnestly considering what it is you mean to her. If you were some potential fling, she would've jumped in no doubt. Odds are, she's looking at you and considering something more than that. Although, she might not even realize it herself."

She watched hope fill Jaune's blue eyes, before once again being replaced by doubt and self-depreciation. "Like I said… it doesn't matter. I've got too much going on. Not to mention that my glyphs are changing-"

"Wait, what was that?"

"My glyphs are changing?" He paused, looking surprised by her attentiveness to that fact. "The cooldown got shorter and these weird black tendrils started coming out from them-"

"And you waited until now to mention this?" All previous thoughts of their former conversation was gone as her mind whirled with this new tidbit. She still didn't have nearly enough information about the swords… but if they were sparing Jaune for any kind of reason, wouldn't it make sense that they were hoping for this? Did it matter what they were planning? The end result didn't change and sooner or later Jaune was going to have to beat Violet in combat. "I forgot to mention something myself. Violet's Semblance. It has a weakness that you need to exploit-"

"Oh, I already know that." Jaune cut her off and although he couldn't see it, Lily's eyes widened behind her bangs. He might have sensed her shock because he was quick to add. "All of us siblings knew what it was. Violet believed that if they were going to work together it was important to know each others strengths _and_ weaknesses. It was never anything she tried to hide from us."

Well, that certainly explained that. Lily supposed the only reason he hadn't told his friends was because they didn't expect Violet to be here tonight. He always did have a bad habit of holding onto information as long as humanly possible. Probably a habit he developed by nature of being a Glyph Bearer.

"Well, I guess that settles that." Since there was nothing else Lily felt she could give Jaune in the way of information, she was just going to have to make use of what he'd given her. "I've got a lot more to work with now that you've filled me in. Give me a few days and I'll do some more digging of my own. If I figure anything out, I'll contact you at Beacon."

"Is it bad if I say that I wish you would come to Beacon with me?" Jaune's shoulders deflated slightly and he gave her a pained smile. "It's been really comforting having you around again."

"Believe me… I want nothing more than to leave and figure this out with you." Lily squeezed his hands a little more tightly, mindful in the same way his sisters were about his scars. "But I have a duty here at Kessel. A duty Violet entrusted me with. So I'm going to do what I can to figure things out from here. If we get a lead on where they are, you better believe I'm coming with you."

"Thanks again, Lily. For everything you've done for me today." He pulled her in for another hug, and as the music came to an end, so too did their slow dance.

"You know I'll always help you, Jaune… and any of your sisters. Always."

* * *

Joan drummed her fingers idly on the sill of the window she was looking out of.

How late was he going to stay out? It was already almost three in the morning and Joan had yet to see any sign of her twin since Lily had pulled him off. She was almost starting to wonder if Lily intended to borrow him for the whole night…

With a vigorous shake of the head she dismissed that thought. It wouldn't be like Jaune to do something like that, despite his complicated feelings for their eldest sister's partner. If she really was so concerned about it… she could always go to Lily's room.

She was currently in the officer's barracks of Kessel's military. Several rooms had been set aside for the group from Beacon. Naturally, she had been set up to stay in a room with her partner and Weiss. Initially Joan had been there with them, but while those two fell asleep rather quickly, exhausted by tonight's events, Joan found sleep to be elusive.

If she thought the visions had been disturbing and disruptive before, they only became increasingly worse in the quiet, peaceful darkness of a bedroom. Every time she closed her eyes she was haunted by another tragic murder or some other atrocity. Crocea Mors had at one point murdered a baker and his wife… simply to raid their shop for a quick bite to eat.

That realization alone had caused her to flee from the room, barely making it to the toilet to empty the contents of her stomach. Like everything else, cotton candy tasted much worse coming back up than it did going down.

How had Rouge and Autumn coped with this? Or was this something only she was experiencing? That was why she needed Jaune right now. Only he could really tell her about all that.

As if some power above had heard her, the door creaked open and Jaune stumbled tiredly into the room. She spun on her heels, practically hopping up to greet him. "Jaune, you're back."

"Joan?" He looked taken aback for several seconds and his eyes darted to the empty beds. No doubt for a second he had been afraid he walked into the wrong room. Once he was reassured that this was in fact, his assigned room, shoulders relaxed and a dull smile crossed his features. "I'm glad to see you're still up. It's been so hectic we just haven't had a chance to talk."

She nodded, not at all surprised that he was thinking the same as her. "I'm… having trouble sleeping. I was hoping maybe if we just talked for awhile… it might help me get comfortable?"

"Yeah, that's fine." He agreed, walking over to the dresser. Like for her, there was a spare set of pyjamas already laid out. "I know it's been awhile… but if you want, we can share the bed. That seemed to really help Rouge and Autumn, sharing a bed with one another." As he said this, he began changing clothes.

"I… would like that." Joan nodded, averting her gaze to give him at least a little privacy. She made her way to the bed, sitting down on the edge. Once Jaune finished changing, he walked around to the other side, pulling out the blankets and sliding underneath the sheets. Then he held up her side, and she gratefully laid down next to him. While he lowered the blankets back down, she snuggled her head into the soft, fluffy pillow.

"How many years do you think it's been since we've done this?" Jaune's head hit the pillow next to her and she felt the whole head bounce lightly. "Seems like it's been ages."

"It's been at least three years." In all actuality, the two of them had probably shared a bed from time to time far longer than what was considered normal for brother and sister. She supposed that was just a testament to how close they had always been. At least, how close they used to be. "I think the last time was before you met Reese."

"Ah…" An awkward silence hung between them for several moments as that was the only response he gave, before breaking it with a question she never thought he would ask. "I always kind of wondered… but did you not like Reese?"

She rolled her head to the side, and blue eyes met blue when she found he had already done the same. "W-what brought this on?"

"I don't know, really. I suppose it's because I've been thinking a lot lately; about why it was I never had friends before now." Joan's eyebrows furrowed, trying to understand either his train of thought or at least who might be responsible for it.

In the past, she never had any trouble understanding Jaune or his train of thought. When was it that had stopped being the case? Since her possession by Crocea Mors… or was this something that had begun even earlier than that? "...I didn't dislike Reese, not as a person, at least." As she began to answer she wondered if Jaune had realized this distance between them too. Most likely he had.

"...But?" He pressed, not forcefully, but with more curiosity than she had ever seen from him before.

"It was just because it was different. Like you, I never made any friends of my own before Beacon. It was always enough just to hang out with all our sisters. So when you came home one day and just had… not a friend, but a girlfriend, I didn't really know how to take that. I guess I was jealous, because it felt like she was trying to take you, my twin, away from me."

"Hmm…" Jaune simply nodded. "I guess that's not too surprising. In the end, you felt the same way about Reese that I did about all of your new friends." Wait, was he saying that he had been jealous of Pyrrha and the rest of her team? Then was that why they were having this conversation now, after all this time?

"That's different now that you've met them too, right? You've formed such a deep, fast bond with everyone. I was honestly a little surprised to see you talking so closely to Cardin and Yatsuhashi. It's almost crazy to believe you didn't know them at all before everything that happened at Domremy." At those words, Jaune gave a mirthful chuckle.

"Is that what it looks like to you?" He paused and seemed to to roll the thought for a moment. "It is true that they've become invaluable friends of mine. I wouldn't say it was exactly a fast bond, though. Hell, most of them refused to talk to me at first." When she frowned he was quick to add, "I wasn't exactly being the most sociable, either. It wasn't their fault."

Joan let out a long sigh. "Well, at least my team was there for you."

"..."

"...Jaune?"

"Yeah… about that…"

"W-what happened!?" He wasn't actually saying they didn't get along at first?

"I mean… Pyrrha and I did get into that fighting match."

"You _what!?_ "

"We worked it out… it was just a little rocky at first." A little rocky? That was how he chose to describe it when they had physically fought?

"Did you make a good first impression with anyone?" She was almost afraid what kind of answer she would get to that.

"Why yes, mother, in fact I did make friends on my first day of school." Despite herself, she couldn't help but give a breathless laugh at the jocular, facetious tone in which he said that. Only for that laugh to transform into a choked sob a moment later as another horrific memory surged to the surface. A memory of Violet and herself walking away from the corpses of their mother and father, leaving an unconscious Jaune behind.

"H-hey, Joan… don't cry." As he cupped her cheek, the sobbing only became more uncontrollable as the truth finally began to settle. The thought had always kind of been there in the back of their mind. She knew the moment Jaune had freed her that their parents were dead and gone. It was only just now that it began to feel real.

"Jaune... " It hurt to talk, feeling like her vocal chords would tear just saying that one simple word. "Mom and dad… they're-" She clutched at the front of his shirt like it was a lifeline, balling up fistfulls of the fabric between her fingers.

"Shh…" Jaune pulled her sobbing face to his chest, gently stroking the blonde hair as he held her close. "I know. I'm sorry… I didn't mean to remind you." She shook her head against his chest, no longer capable of words. "So many horrible things have happened since this whole thing started… so many I thought I was going to drown in them." He continued talking in a low whisper, lowering his mouth to just above her ear.

"I probably would've… except I met four amazing people. When I was at my lowest, mom and dad not there to guide me, those four girls helped pick me back up and gave me the strength to continue." She put all her focus into his words, trying to let them drown out everything else. "The first girl just so happened to be the first friend you ever made."

As he talked, the haunting image of their dead parents was slowly replaced in Joan's mind by the silhouettes of four girls. Girls she knew really well.

"Ruby is just as incredible as you described her. When I had trouble fitting in, she kept coming up with ideas to get me involved with what everyone else was doing. And when I fought to save Autumn, she had my back the whole time, even when her weapon didn't work and when I lost my resolve, she kept on believing right to the end and beyond."

"Weiss might be one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met. You won't believe how much trouble I had talking to her at first, but not just because that. I also… really respect her. In some ways it feels like she had the least reason to get involved with me and our family's problems, but she refused to abandon her friends and even when the rest of them were too injured to keep fighting, she came running to help me."

"Blake was the most driven of all of them to help free you girls. When most of them only wanted to focus on just one of you or the other, she was genuinely invested in saving all of you. Simply as a way to return the favor for redeeming the White Fang. She nearly gave her life to make sure we could free Autumn, just to prove it."

"Yang… I'm not even sure where to begin with her. She's without a doubt the person who has helped me out the most. Whether it was keeping up on my training, helping me feel more social, knocking me to my senses, accepting my hands… the list goes on and on."

Jaune's low, soothing voice had the desired effect for both of them as Joan felt her eyes grow heavy, the tears slowing to a stop. Her mind grew hazy and she barely was able to comprehend what he was saying anymore. In that haze, however, she recognized his tone change, in a way she wasn't entirely comfortable with, as he began talking about the last member of RWBY.

"I don't think I've ever met anyone as incredible as her…" Those were the last words she heard before sleep claimed her that night.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 30**

 _Allegretta_

* * *

"Alright children. That concludes our tour of Beacon." Autumn rolled her eyes as Glynda Goodwitch gave the finishing remarks to what had been a long, boring, affair. Why did they have to go through this whole stupid tour/sales pitch? Was anyone at Signal actually even thinking about going to a different Academy in some far off Kingdom?

"With that, you all have the next two hours to explore the school grounds for yourselves. I strongly encourage you take this time to talk to some of the currently enrolled students to get a feel what life here might be like. Dismissed." Just like that, the rather large crowd quickly dispersed as everyone broke off into groups with their friends to go mess around.

Everyone except Autumn, that was. Not only did she really not have any reason to talk to students, having had so many siblings attend already… she didn't exactly have any friends to just hang out with either.

She supposed she could go and try to find Olivia, provided she wasn't out on some mission. Not like there was anything better to do and it sure beat spending the rest of the time alone. With that in mind, Autumn set out with practiced ease, navigating the halls as if she had done it a dozen times before. Yet another perk to having so many siblings attended before her.

"Oh, Autumn." Just as she stepped outside into the courtyard, she was greeted unexpectedly by a different one of her sisters.

"Amy? What are you doing here?" Amethyst had already graduated so to find her here, hanging around was actually a little weird.

The older Arc sister made a small grimace at Autumn's question, fingers drumming against the shaft of the scythe that balanced precariously over her shoulder. "Violet and I just completed a mission together. She's giving Ozpin our report now."

"So you're just waiting for her?" Autumn didn't really understand. Why didn't Amethyst just go so they could turn in the report together?

"...Something like that." The scythe-wielder looked to weigh her options for several moments before giving a heavy sigh. "I'm on my way to visit someone." Having said that, she turned and began walking away from the any of the buildings.

"W-wait up!" She jogged to catch up before falling into place with her older sister. "Do you mind if I come with you?" It wasn't like she exactly had any better plans.

"..." Amethyst didn't say anything in response, and Autumn could hear the heavy bassline of her music playing through the headphones that cuffed her ears. Even if she hadn't heard her, she also didn't say anything about her following. So Autumn took that to mean that she didn't mind.

For the next several minutes they walked in complete silence. At first the only real noise was from the other students they passed, but even that soon drifted into nothing as they got further away from the main campus. The total quiet almost got to the point of eerie, and Autumn wished Amethyst would take her headphones off so they could talk about something, no matter how mundane.

This never happened as the two of them passed a low, metal gate. On the other side was freshly mowed lawn and plaques as far as the eye could see. Autumn glanced curiously at a couple of them as they walked down the rows, catching glimpses of names she didn't recognize.

Finally, Amethyst came to a stop. It was so abrupt, Autumn nearly bumped right into her, only catching herself at the last possible second. The older girl bent down, kneeling in front of the plaque and placing the shaft of her scythe across it, the blade coming to rest of the grass. Autumn peeked over her shoulder, seeing a name that looked only vaguely familiar.

 _Allegretta Cross_

"This… was your partner." She had a hunch before, but now she knew that this place was a memorial for all those who had passed away while attending Beacon.

"My partner…" Amethyst finally responded as she slipped the headphones off her head. Red eyes drifted closed as she continued in a solemn voice. "...and the woman I loved."

"..." Autumn had no idea what to even say. Amethyst never talked about what happened that day during her graduation exam. The only detail any of them really knew was that her partner hadn't made it. After that, Amethyst had cut off all connection with the rest of her team, who seemed all too eager to do the same.

In a way, it made Autumn look even less forward to having to come to Beacon than she already did. What was the point in having to come here and get bunked with three other people for the next four years if you just had to say goodbye to them in the end?

"My, my. If it isn't little Autumn." A strong hand ruffled the back of her orange hair. As she attempted in vain to swat it away, she spun around to see Violet's partner, Lily. The dog faunus grinned at her brightly, eyes obscured by the bangs of her dirty blond hair. "Come to pay your respects with Amy?"

"We just ran into each other is all." Amethyst picked herself up, once more hoisting the scythe over her shoulder. "I'm done here."

"Don't leave on my account." Lily's chipper tune seemed completely out of place as she gestured for Amethyst to stay.

"You're here too?" Autumn hadn't seen Lily since Violet graduated. She just assumed that they had cut connections with one another after that.

"Of course she'd be here." It was Violet that answered, walking towards them with a slow gait, hand resting on the hilt of Ostrum Tempus. "She always accompanies me on missions." This was the first Autumn had heard of that.

"Naturally, we bring Amy along too." Lily continued. "Seeing as Wanda and Rue are doing that extended mission together, we needed another party member. Not that I would've minded spending time alone with just you, Violet!" She winked playfully at her partner who merely shook her head.

"So that's how it is." Amethyst sighed as she stepped up next to them. "I needed a team and they needed at least another person."

"You two always speak so coldly about it!" Lily popped up in between the two older sisters and draped an arm over their shoulders, pulling them so close their cheeks pressed against hers. "Can't we say we stick together because we're friends?"

"I'm tired, let's go."

"Agreed."

Violet and Amethyst pulled away, ignoring Lily's words altogether as they set towards the exit together. "So cold!" Autumn may have really believed Lily was hurt, if it wasn't for the huge grin that always seemed perpetually glued to her face. "Ah well… you coming, Autumn?" Lily gestured for them follow, but it took the younger girl several seconds to respond and set off after them.

This whole time she had just assumed Violet had cut ties with her team, just like how Amethyst had and like how Ciel's team had done to her. Only to find out now, Lily had always stayed by. It wasn't a great track-record for her sisters, that was for sure, but Autumn couldn't help but feel a little more hopeful now. Maybe… she would make a friend just like Lily too?

She really hoped so.


	36. Return to Beacon

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Return to Beacon_

* * *

"What's taking them so long?" Autumn tapped her foot impatiently, green eyes scanning the blue horizon for any sign of the routine transport ship that brought people to and from Beacon.

Blake gave an audible sigh as she glanced up at the orange-haired girl, momentarily putting thoughts of the book she was reading to the back of her mind. On the bench next to her, she heard Rouge give a short giggle and turned just in time to see her roll yellow eyes at the older sister.

Like Blake, she had been immersed in a book borrowed from the library, until Autumn's outburst. She snapped it shut before calling out to her. "It takes time to get here from Kessel. Domremy was even closer than Beacon was… and you remember how long that took, don't you?"

Autumn let out a grunt that Blake supposed meant she took the point. Sometimes it was really hard to tell with the obstinate girl. In the past day Blake had been spending with the two girls, she'd come to learn that Rouge was the far simpler of the two to get along with. All she did was sit there quietly and read. That was something Blake could very much appreciate.

Autumn, however, was constantly restless. She was always up and about. If not trying to dig a hole into their room with all the pacing, then loudly making grunts of her displeasure as she tried and failed to read a book like the two of them.

So it was with great relief that Blake got the message saying the others were on their way back. Actually, if she was being honest, it was also with some concern. Yang almost never sent messages, preferring usually to chat with the actual voice function of the scrolls, and if feasible, a video feed. It was only a minor change in her partner's behavior, but one that Blake couldn't help but feel nervous about.

The message had been pretty brief too. Just enough to let her know that the group was on their way back and that they had rescued Joan. Yang hadn't mentioned anything in the way of casualties, but what if they had lost someone again? It would certainly explain the brevity and unusualness of Yang's message.

Blake just hoped she was wrong.

Odds are she was thinking about it too hard. Regardless, she hadn't pressed the issue over the scroll and decided to patiently wait for their return. "Finally!" Which seemed to have payed off, if Autumn's relieved cry was any indication. Blake and Rouge both rose from the bench, taking a position next to Autumn and waiting for the large, now visible transport ship to dock.

Really, Blake didn't know what she was expecting when the walk rail for the ship clicked into place and the doors slid open with a loud hiss. She supposed maybe because she was so caught up on the ambiguity of Yang's message that she forgot the most basic truth: Jaune and Joan were on that ship.

And anyone that knew the Arcs at all, knew they did not handle their motion sickness well. So in an entirely predictable turn of events, the very first two people out of the ship, racing in a mad dash for the nearest trash can, were the blonde twins.

"I really should've known..." Blake pinched the bridge of her nose, not even willing to look at the two vomiting teens. While she stood in place and waited for any sign of the rest of the team that went out, Rouge and Autumn raced forward.

"Joan!" Their voices overlapped with one another. The older girl only barely got her head out from the trashcan before she was about bowled over by the two younger. She gave a grunt upon impact, but by some miracle managed to stay standing. The blonde wrapped an arm around either girl, a huge grin spreading across her face. She returned the hug they were giving full force, bending down to whisper to them. Even from here, Blake could see the tears well in the corner of her eyes.

Jaune leaned his elbows on the lid of the trashcan, giving a smile of content while watching the same scene Blake was. This was what he was doing it for, to reunite all his sisters and keep them safe. Give them all this happy reunion. Blake could only imagine what it was he felt watching it slowly begin to come together. From the looks of things, though, they still had another four sisters to go. And now there were only fully-trained Huntresses left. No more girls in training.

Blake turned away from the family reunion, looking once again to the door in hopes to find everyone. The crowd of departing passengers was beginning to thin but there was still no sign of a recognizable face. Then to her relief, she witnessed the lumbering head of Yatsuhashi as he had to duck under the frame of the door. Next to him she could just make out the orange outcrop of Cardin's hair. If even he had survived… surely the others…

The last of the crowd stepped out of the way and the others became visible to Blake's amber eyes. She only looked at the others long enough to acknowledge that they were there. It might have been more accurate to say that was all the time she had before the sight of Yang absolutely commanded her attention.

Before she was even aware of it, legs were already in motion as she dashed for her partner. "Yang!" She skid to a stop, just short of outright running into her, grabbing the blonde by the upper arms. The hair was what she noticed from a distance, the long beautiful locks Yang took absolute pride in cut to the length of her shoulders.

The scar she didn't notice until this moment. Before her mouth could even open to let out a gasp, Yang flicked her in the nose, teasing grin adorning her features. "I knew it! You may always be playing all hard to get, but you do care."

Blake was almost shocked speechless. Almost. "You idiot! Of course I care. Are you okay? What hap-" A finger to her lips silenced anything else she could say. The grin on Yang's face slipped, becoming more melancholic and there was an unmistakable shimmer in her lilac eyes.

"For now, I'm fine. Can we… talk about it later? Maybe after we all get some rest? We had one Hell of a trip." Blake felt conflicted. If their positions had been flipped, Yang would not let this go so easily and would push her until she answered. Blake wasn't Yang, though. So with a subtle nod, she agreed to put off their chat for now. Only for now. She _would_ bring it up again tomorrow.

"I can't help but notice that our reception is a little barren." Cardin thunked the tip of his mace against the concrete, a displeased frown marring his face. He scanned the rest of the visible grounds, finding no one else from any of their teams present.

Blake nodded and glanced once more at the Arc siblings who were still conversing amongst themselves. "Coco… is likely visiting Fox's grave again." Yatsuhashi didn't react outwardly at all to this news. If anything, he probably expected it. "Velvet went to try and convince her to come see you back… but as you can see-" She gestured vaguely behind herself.

"It's okay." Yatsuhashi gave a slight bow as he walked past them. "I should also go pay my respects. Let them know some of what happened. I shall meet you all later." They watched him go, before Cardin cleared his throat.

"What about my team?" He pointed to himself, for some reason looking dejected that no one had come to see him.

"I never told them anything. If you wanted them to know you were coming back, you should've sent them a message yourself." Cardin winced at the slight bite in Blake's words. For a second, she almost expected him to shoot some kind of insult back, only for him to heft the mace over his shoulder and stalk off.

The only thing her enhanced hearing caught him mutter was a short "Whatever." When he reacted so passively, it actually made her feel a little bad. Was she the one in the wrong in this situation? It was true, Cardin had been a real asshole in the past, but his jeers and aggressive acts had stopped some time ago. Maybe she should apologize to him?

"C-Cardin!" Blake never got the chance, and it was surprisingly Autumn of everyone that called out to him. The orange-haired girl jogged up to the taller man, who looked as astonished as Blake felt.

"Sup?" Cardin looked down at Autumn, who had stopped just in front of him, twirling one of her twintails and grinding the bottom of a heel against the cement.

"I- uhh… just wanted to uhh…" Autumn's green eyes darted back and forth for several awkward moments before she looked back up at him. "Thank you." Cardin recoiled at the word, a dumbfounded look flashing across his face. "Joan told me what you did for her and my brother… and… thanks. That's all." She turned on her heel, running back to her siblings before Cardin could react. For a second, it looked like he might call back out to her. Instead, he settled into a grin full of pride. As he began walking away again, it was with a much more noticeable hop in his step.

Blake knew for sure now she should apologize to Cardin later. She didn't know exactly what he had done, but somehow he had befriended one of Joan's more difficult sisters. Which was something she hadn't been capable of doing. If that wasn't enough proof that he had changed a little, she didn't know what was. With that in mind, she turned back to face the last person not of her team.

"Is Ren with Nora then?" Pyrrha asked as their eyes met.

Blake's lips formed a knowing smirk. "Something like that." The redhead looked confused. Her eyes shifted off the cat faunus for a moment, glancing behind her. As she did, her face shifted into one of pure disbelief.

"Pyrrha! Joan! Welcome back!" The bubbly, energetic voice of their most hyperactive friend called and Blake slowly turned around to see Ren and a now conscious Nora approaching the group.

"When did she-"

"Last night." Blake couldn't help but wonder if Crocea Mors breaking and Nora waking up had been related. It certainly wouldn't surprise her. Even if it had been a coincidence, it was great that she was up to see the return of their leader.

Having spent the better part of the last two weeks in bed, Nora wasn't exactly in walking shape yet. Even in a wheelchair being pushed by Ren, she didn't look any less energetic, waving both arms wildly.

Out of the corner of Blake's eye she saw Joan begin to wobble forward. Knees shook so bad it looked like she might stumble and fall face first at any second. Pyrrha was by her side in an instant, wrapping an arm around either shoulder to help keep her steady. If Joan noticed this, she didn't say anything. Her blue eyes remained wide and transfixed upon their wheelchair bound teammate.

It was understandably a shocking sight. Even if Nora hadn't been in that chair, her hair was buzzed short. It was actually fortunate Joan was seeing her like this now and not the day after. Whole patches of Nora's hair had been gone completely, leaving only exposed scalp. Short hair had already grown back in place, and no longer was she covered in third degree burns. Saying such things wouldn't make Joan feel better, however.

"Nora…" Joan's voice cracked. She reached her teammate and collapsed to her knees. The sound of the impact alone was enough for Blake to flinch, although she doubted anyone else could hear it. Shakily, Joan's hands reached forward and cuffed the top of Nora's head, running them through the buzzed hair. "Nora." She repeated with a choked sob. "I'm so sorry…"

Nora, in perhaps only a way she could in this situation, just continued to give that same megawatt grin while patting Joan roughly on the shoulders. "This isn't your fault, Joan. It was the three of us that messed up!" Those words probably should've sounded hurt, maybe even desperate, but coming from Nora they just sounded chipper and matter-of-fact.

"Your brother tried to tell us what was up. But did we listen? No-siree we did not and this is what happened." Nora shrugged it off. "The important thing is we all learned our lesson and Pyrrha was able to help him save you this time."

"B-but your hair- your legs-"

"My hair will grow back in no time. And I'll be skipping around again by the end of the week. I give you my Nora guarantee!" She emphasised the statement with an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Ren cleared his throat. "I've already prepared all of the most nutritional of ingredients to assist Nora in getting back to her old self." Nora blanched, all of them only too familiar with Ren's… exotic taste in healthy supplements. And Joan, despite herself, gave a small snort of laughter at their usual interaction.

Their team was going to be okay.

"I feel kind of like we're watching something really personal right now…" Ruby poked her index fingers together, eyes darting between the sky and the happy team reunion in front of them. Unlike Blake, the rest of them were probably only able to make out parts of the conversation they were having.

"I mean, they are having it in a pretty public place." Yang had no such shame and was watching the scene unblinkingly.

"We should give them some privacy. They've earned that much." Weiss gave Yang a light slap on the shoulder.

"Fine…" The brawler drawled before turning to Jaune and his sisters. "Hey Lady Killer! I think we're all going to try and catch up on some sleep." It must have really been a long night if Yang was planning on taking a nap in the middle of the day. At her words, even Weiss and Ruby let out long yawns.

"Sounds great." Jaune nodded in agreement and together, the seven of them set off towards RWBY's room. Blake could admit, she hadn't exactly gotten the best sleep of her life, constantly checking to see if there was a call from someone on her team, so a nap didn't sound too bad. Rouge and Autumn must have felt the same because neither of them offered complaint.

Blake sent one last glance at JNPR as they walked past. Somehow, all four of them had managed to get into a group hug around their wheelchair bound teammate. "You sure you don't want to stay with your twin?" She was honestly surprised Jaune was even willing to separate from her at all, having just saved her.

"I think she needs to spend some time with her team right now. We can always catch up later." Jaune shrugged it off, sending his own glance back towards them.

"From what I hear, the two of you caught up plenty…" Yang wiggled her eyebrows sultry, earning a deep blush from him.

"I-I keep telling you it wasn't like that! Joan and I used to share a bed all the time!" Wait, what was this? They weren't possibly talking about… forbidden love?

"Miss Blake, I think your nose is bleeding." The faunus' hands immediately shot to her upper lip, only to find it dry and lacking any blood. She shot a betrayed look at Rouge, who was grinning shyly.

"...Yang is a bad influence on you." She hissed under her breath. It was a miracle no one else had noticed and instead continued on with their own conversation.

"You forget, I have six older sisters, Miss Blake. Miss Yang is actually quite similar to one of them." Just great… Blake couldn't wait until they saved that one. Just what they needed, two Yang's running around.

"Mister Arc!" No sooner did all of them set foot inside the dormitory than did they hear the stern voice of Glynda Goodwitch. The blonde teacher was ahead of them, strolling forward at a brisk pace.

"So much for sleep…" Yang grumbled under breath. Still, it was odd for the teacher to be all the way out here at the dormitories. Especially if her purpose had been to meet them. Jaune didn't appear to mind as he stepped up to the front of the group.

Glynda stopped directly in front of him, adjusting her glasses as she looked down at them all. "I received word from Lily this morning. She says you all were exemplary in helping her bring the situation in Kessel under control. You did a fine job." Whoa, this was the most praise Blake or probably any of them had ever heard come from Goodwitch's mouth. "I also hear you managed to save Joan. You must be relieved to have another sister back."

Jaune scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I kind of wish I had been able to save more this time… but maybe that's asking for too much?"

Goodwitch nodded. "Be pleased with the progress you made. Lily is pitching last night's events as a success to the media. The fact is, an attack by your sisters still happened, but she together with you, proved that the situation _is_ controllable. You may have just instilled some confidence in the people which is necessary to buy you more time." Jaune beamed at her words.

"This is great and all-" Yang stepped forward and interjected herself into the conversation. "-but did you wait here just to tell us all that?" Only she would have the audacity to talk to Goodwitch that way.

Thankfully, it didn't look like that upset her at all. She merely adjusted her glasses again, regarding Yang for a silent second. "No it is not. Forgive me, you must all be tired after last night. The actual reason I am here is because I was showing a couple guests to the room they will be using for their stay." Guests? It was rare for Beacon to get guests that would be using the student dormitories. That hadn't happened since the Vytal Tournament last year.

"In fact-" Goodwitch continued. "One of them came here specifically to meet with you, Mister Arc." All eyes turned to Jaune.

"Me?" He pointed at himself incredulously. Clearly he was just as astounded as the rest of them to have a visitor. Blake had been under the impression he didn't exactly know many people. "Who would come to see me?"

"Jaune!" His question was answered not by Glynda, but by a new voice down the hallway. As the deputy-headmistress stepped aside, a vaguely familiar face was revealed. One that was sprinting right at them.

The name was on the tip of her tongue, but Blake just couldn't quite recall it. She was that girl who she had fought against last year in the Vytal Tournament. Her appearance hadn't changed much, still wearing that purple hoodie with the hood pulled up and mint-green hair poking out. Behind her, not moving quite as fast, was the leader of her team.

Blake was so caught up trying to place a name to her face that she had actually forgotten this girl had called for Jaune until she tackled right into him, wrapping the blonde in what looked like a bone-crushing hug. "You asshole!" She yelled as she held onto him for dear life. "I thought you died!"

"R-Reese…" That was her name! It only clicked after Jaune said it.

"What's going on here?" Yang looked at Jaune and the girl he was hugging, then at everyone else present, and then back to them, as if trying to verify she was seeing things right. A sentiment Blake shared at the moment.

"Her name is Reese Chloris." Surprisingly, it was Rouge who started to fill them in. And Autumn who finished with a bitter bite to her voice.

"Big brother's ex-girlfriend."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

I'm going to try something a little different this time around for the omake. A few months ago, I wrote an omake about the sisters' very first mission together. Well, it ended up becoming 6k+ words on me, way too long for a single omake. Plus, with volume three in full swing, I decided to let it sit. With the volume finished now, I've come back to the idea, but have split it into five parts and also made some changes based on things that happened in the Volume. So I hope you enjoy this.

* * *

 **Omake 31**

 _First Mission (Part I)_

* * *

Autumn closed her eyes and focused.

Light, sounds, the smell of dust, the feel of the hard bedrock beneath her feet, the bitter aftertaste in her mouth; everything vanished as she focused every ounce of concentration into her Semblance.

In a world of pure black, small lights began to appear. At first it was just her sisters. They were all moving into position, slowing creeping through the Dust mines located beneath the streets of Kessel.

Then more lights began flickering. All of the terrified citizens who they had managed to explain the situation to came next. Then she could see faunus militia, hundreds of them. And one small orange flicker: Roman Torchwick. The man they were here to apprehend… and if necessary, kill. Autumn had never personally killed someone. Her weapon was usually used for providing support or taking out supplies.

A small static flickered in her ear as the headset placed inside buzzed to life. "Autumn, what's the status?" The eldest Arc asked, voice tense and impatient. Violet was the leader, but Autumn's role was pivotal as she could monitor all signs of activity and report.

"They don't seem to know we're here yet. I'm still locating all of them, but there appears to be the deepest concentration by Joan and Rouge. Judging by the wavelength of their Aura… I would say they're eating. Probably a mess hall?"

"Copy that, I think we can hear them now." Joan's voice echoed in her ear next. "Should we engage?"

"Not yet." Violet cut in immediately. "We still don't know what kind of artillery they have. This place is way too large to be just some run of the mill Dust excavation or White Fang boot camp. They're hiding something."

"Not very well." Ciel let out a loud whistle and Autumn's head twitched to the side as she almost ripped the ear-piece off. "They've got a whole battalion of Paladins here. I'd say they're stocking up for another invasion. You know, since we screwed up their last one so badly." She hadn't been there the last time the White Fang had pulled something, but she had heard the stories.

Violet had accompanied Joan and her team to Mount Glenn on a simple reconnaissance mission. Apparently the tip had come from some team called RWBY that Joan knew. Regardless, Ozpin had pulled some strings and rigged the mission so Violet could be there as the experienced Huntress leading Joan's team.

What they ended up finding and preventing was the first potential invasion into Vale city. Roman Torchwick was apprehended before he was able to start a train that would have blown a hole right into downtown Vale and let who knew how many Grimm in.

It would've been great if that was the end of it. Things only got more complicated, however, and when all crime in Vale and White Fang activity stopped completely, Violet became paranoid. With Ciel and Amethyst's help, they uncovered the White Fang's second attempt to attack during the finals of the Vytal Tournament.

What none of them had counted on was that mysterious woman who appeared to be the one really pulling the strings. The invasion that time happened because of that unexpected variable. Even so, the losses were brought to a minimum as their older sisters somehow managed to calm the public and reduce what could've been an otherwise massive Grimm incursion.

In the chaos, Roman had managed to slip out of custody, though. And with him, their only lead to that mystery woman. Violet had been assigned as the one to hunt him down and recapture him. A mission she was taking very personally. Which brought them all the way out here to Vale's furthest successful colony, all seven of the Arc sisters now.

"It would be bad if they got into those Paladins." She could picture Violet rubbing her chin as she contemplated their options. "If Joan and Rouge cut off their troops in the mess hall would there not be enough to operate them?"

"I don't think it would make much difference." Autumn could tell that there would be no feasible way to keep everyone from getting into at least a fair number of paladins. "The greatest concentration is in the mess hall, but I would say it's only about one hundred of them at most. There's at least another odd two or three hundred wandering the other parts of the facility. And at least a two dozen are already in the room with the paladins."

"Ah, just leave those chumps to me." Ciel certainly sounded relaxed anyways. Especially since she was by herself in a room full of Paladins.

"Have you located Torchwick yet?" Violet didn't appear to argue with her which meant she must have had some confidence in her abilities then.

"I did." Autumn nodded, despite the fact that Violet couldn't see her. "He's located in what I would guess is the lowest level of the facility. There's only one way to him, judging by the map layout." Which also meant he only had one way out.

"Got it. I'm heading there now."

"He's got quite a bit of security, and they don't seem like pushovers judging by their Aura reserves." Autumn didn't really doubt her eldest sister, but you could never be too cautious.

"Nothing my illusions cannot handle." Olivia spoke for the first time. "Although that teleporter worries me. Have you noticed any sign of her yet?"

That was the most distressing part of this whole thing. That teleporter was their biggest threat but she had yet to make so much as a speck on Autumn's radar. She was the reason Roman had escaped Violet twice more already. "Not yet. But I'll keep looking." Fortunately, her Aura was the most noticeable and if Autumn got even the slightest glimpse of it she would be able to trace her, no matter where she went.

"Alright. We're in position." Violet and Olivia were now practically right on top of Torchwick's Aura signal. "Everyone clear on their roles?"

"Yes ma'am!" All six of the other sisters corresponded together.

"Good. We begin on your signal, Autumn."

She sucked in a deep breath and opened her green eyes. She had been crouched on the ground and as she stood up, the chains of Luteus Oblido jingle behind her. She looked down at the gauntlets encompassing her hands.

Orange lightning sparked to life around the edges and she felt the chains lift as energy surged through them. It was now or never.

Streaks of lightning fired from the links in the chains and rocketed into the sky. As they reached the peak of their ascent they bent and curved back towards the ground. They struck the earth and burrowed through it without resistance, heading towards the Paladins.

Even from high above ground she could feel the explosions as her lightning made quick work of so many of the stolen mechs.

Their plan had officially begun and the battle was on.


	37. Reese and Arslan

Beta Creative Assitant: Jefardi (He posted a one-shot for the Moncon this month. I both beta'd and helped him outline parts of it, in particular the bits with Yang, so if you're interested in a story where Pyrrha gets a happy ending, check it out! And if you like it, vote for him on reddit. He'd appreciate it.)

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Reese and Arslan_

* * *

"Reese," Jaune couldn't believe that name just left his mouth again. How long had it been since he talked to her? Over a year now since they broke up, since she moved to Mistral. If he was being honest… he never expected to see her again. Especially not given the circumstances. "What are you doing here?"

The bone-crushing hug his ex-girlfriend had him in loosened. Her hands shifted to his shoulders before with a powerful shove, she sent him stumbling backwards. "H-hey!" Weiss gave an indignant yell when he crashed into her, nearly sending them both sprawling to the floor.

"Is that the first thing you have to say to me!?" Reese's green eyes burned with anger. She stalked forward, jabbing him roughly in the chest with an extended finger. "Domremy was burned to the ground, Jaune! All my old friends, the family I left behind, they're all dead." Perhaps fortunately, Reese's dad had been transferred to Mistral for his job, which had been a deciding factor in her even wanting to attend Haven. Naturally, her mom had moved too. But how many other family members: uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, had Reese lost in that massacre? Jaune didn't even know.

"And I thought you were among them." She gave one last jab, before switching both hands to her hips and tilting her head. "You know how I had to find out that you were alive? That your sisters didn't murder you too?" She pulled out a scroll and held it up lopsided. "A viral video. One some kid here at Beacon took when you knocked out thee Pyrrha Nikos. Caused quite the stir back in Haven. She's a major star there… and if it hadn't been for that. It would be where I still was."

"I-I'm sorry." He really had no idea she would be so mad about this. "I didn't even think about trying to get a hold of you. What… what was I even supposed to say?" _Hey there! Remember that guy that broke up with you? Yeah, my sisters went crazy and wiped out our home town. Don't worry, I'm okay though._ Somehow he didn't think that would go over well.

Reese apparently had an answer, mouth opening up halfway to tell him exactly what it was she thought he should have said. Only for a dark-skinned hand to clamp over it, pulling the girl into a tight headlock. "Okay there, Reese. I think that's enough of this lover's spat. In case you haven't noticed… there are other people here aside from the two of you." The blonde girl that was holding Reese in check gestured to all the others present.

Reese's green eyes scanned over their audience, the anger in them quickly giving way to barely concealed embarrassment. "Mmph, mmph, mnph."

"Please don't speak into my hand. That's disgusting." The girl scowled down at Reese, silencing her immediately. "Now… I'm going to take my hand away from your mouth. And when I do, we're going to continue this conversation in a calm, civilised manner, making sure to address everyone involved. Do I make myself clear?" Reese nodded immediately. "Good."

Who the heck was this girl? He'd never seen Reese so obedient before and as the hand holding Reese's mouth clamped shut pulled away, she did exactly as she was told. There was no more shouting or yelling, much to his relief, and she actually looked apologetic when nodding to the others. "Hehe… sorry about that everyone. I guess you could say I got a little… worked up?" She glanced at the girl who gave an accepting nod. "My name is Reese Chloris."

"And my name is Arslan Altan." The dark-skinned girl introduced herself the moment Reese finished. "I'm Reese's partner and the leader of team ABRN. You girls might remember us from the tournament last year?" She inclined her head towards RWBY and Jaune turned to see some recognition in their eyes.

He had no idea Reese had ever possibly met these girls before. Let alone fought against them in a friendly competition. Just went to show how small the world really was. Sure, he had watched bits of the tournament on the tv, but only if he knew Joan was competing.

"N-Nice to meet you again!" Ruby shuffled forward first, extending a quivering hand. Arslan gripped it without hesitation. "My name is Ruby Rose and I'm the leader of team RWBY."

"I'm Weiss Schnee. Her partner." Weiss stepped around Jaune and took a spot next to her leader.

"Blake." The cat faunus looked at Reese directly. The mint-haired girl returned the look immediately, a challenging gleam appearing in both their eyes. If Jaune didn't know any better he would say they had probably gone at it in the tournament.

"And I'm-"

"Yang Xiao Long." Reese finished for the blonde, earning a surprised look. "We went to Signal together. Although you may not remember. We always hung out in different cliques."

A complicated expression formed on Yang's features, one Jaune wasn't quite sure what to make heads or tails of. And he certainly didn't expect the almost spiteful tone in the next line she spoke. "You're right, I don't remember." Reese's own eyes narrowed, but perhaps because her leader was present, she didn't offer any kind of rebuttal. "So what's this I hear about how you and Lady Killer used to suck face?"

Jaune nearly choked on his own spit.

Why would she word it like that!? Reese didn't appear even remotely as flabbergasted and merely offered a cool shrug. "Yeah, we dated for a bit. Back when I was attending _Signal._ " And why did she have to use so much emphasis on the last word like that? He was starting to have a really bad feeling about this.

"Reese."

"Yang."

Thankfully, both girls partners were there to rein them in; Blake and Arslan giving their respective teammates a warning glare. It had the desired effect, both girls relenting from the staredown they were having with one another. "What I think my partner meant to say was-" Blake glanced away from Yang to back at Reese. "We were under the impression Jaune didn't have many friends before the… incident." That was a nice way of putting what happened at Domremy. "He wasn't the most social guy when we met. So it's a little funny to find out he ever had a girlfriend." Thanks for the vote of confidence there, Blake. Real nice.

At this, Reese gave a soft snort of amusement, previous almost-confrontation all but forgotten. "I guess that means you really haven't changed much, huh?" She grinned coyly at him. He really wished he could vanish as every eye in the hallway turned his way. "It's true-" She continued. "Jaune never had a single other friend the whole time we went out."

"Try he never had a friend his whole life." Not helping his case, Autumn. Yes, he got it, he was socially inadequate. What did that have to do with why Reese and Arslan were even here?

"That is why we were very happy when big brother and Reese met!" Rouge piped up, intertwining her fingers together. Yellow eyes were practically alight with pure joy as she looked at his ex. He just didn't have the heart to tell her that pretty much only herself, Olivia, and Amethyst had been okay with him dating. Not exactly a majority vote.

"While this is something I would love to hear more about. Reese has been rather scarce on the details since she insisted on coming to Beacon." Arslan tapped the toe of her shoes against the carpeted floor, a single hand positioned on her hip. "However, I think our conversation has derailed a little too much, wouldn't you say, Miss Rose?"

"Huh? Eh?" Ruby appeared taken off guard while Arslan was looking to her as a fellow leader to help restore order. Poor Ruby never had such control over her own team, especially with her big sister being on it. "What I mean is- yes, she's right!" Regardless, she still straightened out, giving her team the most commanding look she could, chin held high and lips tucked into a serious pucker. Too bad for her, the attempt was laughable at best. "What we really need to be discussing is the matter of… uhh…"

She awkwardly shuffled a couple steps closer to Arslan, leaning next to her head before whispering not so subtly. "What should we be discussing again?" It took every muscle in Jaune's arm not to facepalm, an effort it looked like Arslan shared.

The dark-skinned blonde ignored Ruby altogether and turned to face Jaune. "Reese and I have been filled in on some of the finer details by Professor Goodwitch." The deputy-headmistress to the side of them all silently adjusted her glasses. He was astounded she hadn't said a single thing during their whole conversation.

"And we've decided we want to help." Reese jumped in between him and her leader, grasping both of Jaune's wrapped hands in her own. "Your sisters… I may not have always gotten along with all of them, but I like to think we were in some ways friends. They don't deserve to be hunted down like criminals. So please, Jaune, let me help you."

"Reese…" Involuntarily he felt his heart flutter. It really shouldn't have been much of a surprise. This was a girl he had dated for over a year. A girl he at one point would've gone so far as to say he was in love with. Even when they broke up, he hadn't wanted that. So it was probably only natural for his heart to do that when she just showed up all of the sudden, offering to help save his family. "...okay." And there was certainly no way he could refuse her.

Reese grinned brightly, leaning in to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. He could feel his ears turning red, all because of an action that had once been so natural between them. Fortunately for him, Weiss diverted any attention the two of them may have had by addressing Arslan again. "You're okay getting involved with this? I don't wish to deter additional help, but his sisters are not exactly pushovers. An upperclassman even died."

Arslan simply shrugged at the cautionary warning. "If I leave this idiot alone, she's going to be the one who dies."

"Hey!"

"I wouldn't be much of a team leader if I let my own partner come out and get killed trying to do the right thing. I look forward to working with you all on this mission." She inclined her head towards them.

"W-we're honored to work with you too!" Ruby waved her arms exaggeratedly, before stopping as if she just had a sudden epiphany. "What about your other two teammates?"

"For their sakes, hopefully still at Haven taking articulate notes so Arslan and I don't fall behind in our studies." Reese leaned in close to Jaune, resting an elbow on his shoulder as she hiked a thumb towards her leader. "If you think she looks scary now, you should see her when Bolin and Nadir get into it." He let out a small laugh, finding the genuine fear in her eyes amusing.

It was weird, how natural it felt to have her hanging off his shoulder again, just like old times. It was almost like that final argument they had never happened. Yet in the back of his mind he couldn't stop telling himself things were so much different. This wasn't who they were anymore. Did she… feel any of that too? She must have, right?

"So what happened?" There was suddenly a weight on his other shoulder and Yang's voice right in his ear. He glanced at the blonde to find her looking between both him and Reese.

"I'm sorry?" He awkwardly shifted his weight from foot to foot, trying subtly to convey how uncomfortable it was, having a girl leaning on either shoulder. No one else even seemed to notice, the others engaging with Arslan. Yang naturally appeared oblivious too, but Reese seemed to pick up on it and thankfully took a step back.

"Why did you two break up?" She clarified. "His breath didn't reek of vomit during make-out sessions, did it?" There was an almost oddly victorious smirk on Yang's lips, but Jaune was just going to chalk it up to having something else to tease him about now. As if she didn't have enough ammo against him already.

"That was…" He also had no idea how to answer that question. Was there even a simple answer to it?

"We broke up because I had to move." Apparently so, seeing how simply Reese just stated that. "Believe me, our breakup had nothing to do with his kissing." She raised two fingers and placed them against her bottom lip. "In fact, he and I used to-"

"O-Kay!" He immediately jumped in between their line of sight, cutting Reese off. "I'm really tired. Long night, all that. Maybe we should all get that nap now? Catch up and talk about this less than interesting stuff later." And by later, he meant never.

"Oh, what room are you staying in?" Reese slipped both hands in the hood of her pocket, accepting the topic change easily enough. Before he could answer, Yang pat him rather roughly in the chest.

"He and his sisters are staying in our room." Again, her tone sounded almost challenging, like she was trying to egg Reese on. To his relief, and her obvious disappointment, it failed to elicit any kind of reaction at all.

"I was wondering if now might be a convenient time-" Instead, it was Goodwitch who finally entered the conversation, earning the immediate attention of everyone present. "-to talk about a possible change to your current sleeping arrangement?" Even when asking a question, it sounded more like a command from her.

"What do you mean?" Ruby responded first, looking between Jaune and the strict professor. He actually felt a little bad, she always seemed so happy to have so many people staying in their room together. It was also true, however, that seven people in one room was a little cramped.

"What did you have in mind?" He and Goodwitch had discussed the idea of getting a separate room for him and his sisters before. It just never seemed like the right time, with only him, Autumn, and Rouge. And Joan would likely move back into her old room.

"Miss Altan and Miss Chloris are in a team room so they have two spare beds still available. This means your two sisters would still have to bunk up, however, I'm sure that isn't an issue given what you've worked with so far. Taking in your concern about them being around other women their age, I believe they both also have some history with Miss Chloris?" He nodded, turning to his younger sisters.

This certainly would be the most ideal time to switch rooms. Rouge and Autumn both knew Reese and it would give them more space, not to mention allow them to stop being a burden on RWBY. "Well… what to do you two say?"

A small flicker of doubt crossed Rouge's face as she glanced between Ruby and Reese. He knew she must have wanted to catch up with Reese, having been so long since the two of them talked. She had been the most hurt to find out they had broken up. However, Ruby was her best friend, so it made sense she wouldn't want to separate from her. With meek, yellow eyes she looked back at him. "I'll go wherever you are, big brother."

Autumn had no such confliction. "I've been asking to have a new room since the beginning." That she had. Ordinarily, he would be surprised that she willingly choose to take a room knowing she would have to share it with Reese. However, it would appear Autumn got along as well with Yang as she had with her. So if she was stuck between one of them either way, it made sense that she would lean towards the option with fewer people.

Seeing as she was the one with the strongest opinion, that was what they were going to do then. "If you two don't mind…" He started slowly, looking at Reese and her leader. Both girls shook their heads. With no objections he turned to the four girls of RWBY, inclining his head in a slight bow. "I appreciate you all allowing us to stay with you until now."

"Y-you don't have to go! We don't mind having you!" Ruby piped up immediately, running up to Rouge and wrapping an arm around her protectively, almost like she was trying to stop her from being swept away.

"It's okay, Ruby." Rouge pat her soothingly on the head. "I will still come and hang out with you. The only thing that is changing is where I sleep."

Ruby gave a deep pout before relenting with a sad nod. "Okay… you better swing by before breakfast so we can walk to the cafeteria together." To this Rouge nodded happily in agreement.

Weiss gave a small huff. "While I admit I was against having so many extra bodies in our room, the three of you weren't all bad." He would just take that to be her way of saying she was going to miss them, even a little.

"If you finish that book, let me know, I'll recommend you the next one." Blake pointed at the small rectangular object in Rouge's hand. It made Jaune really happy, to see his youngest sister had bonded so deeply with another girl she hadn't known before coming to Beacon.

Blue eyes met lilac, and for a split second could've sworn he saw a speck of confliction. It vanished so quickly, he was confident that he just imagined it. Instead, she wore that trademark teasing grin as she shoved his shoulder. "The two of you better not pick up where your relationship left off with your sisters in the room. That'll get pretty awkward."

"W-we won't!" Despite his best effort, he couldn't help but glance at Reese to see how she reacted. He didn't know why he bothered, her facial expression hardly changing at all. She had always been good at shrugging off Ciel's pranks and teases and apparently hadn't lost her touch.

"I don't know about that." Yang continued in a sing-song. "Sounds like you two only broke up because she moved… you must still feel _something_?" Even if she was teasing, this was being kind of direct and made him more than a little uncomfortable.

"You're pretty interested in our past relationship." He thought maybe Reese would have felt so too, but now she had a teasing grin of her own. "In fact, I would wager a guess that it's _you_ that feels something."

Yang's grin faltered and their staring contest from before resumed. Jaune thought about jumping in, but once again their partners were quick to beat him to it. "Sorry, Yang's just… a little edgy because of her new haircut." Blake caught the taller girl in a headlock, a rare reversal for the two.

"No, Reese just doesn't know how to take a joke. She's unfortunately a very sore loser." Arslan reached into Reese's hood and grabbed her by the ear. "Follow us. We'll show you to our room." She began dragging Reese off, the mint-haired girl giving small yelps of pain the whole way.

Rouge and Autumn scurried after them first. Jaune paused for a moment, sharing one last glance at the girls who had now gathered around Yang. As he looked at his fellow blonde, he couldn't help but linger on if there was any truth to Reese's words. Part of him wanted there to be, even though he knew how unreasonable that was. He couldn't dedicate himself to Yang, no more than he had been able to dedicate himself to Reese. In the end, his sisters had won out and that had been before they needed him. It was even more impossible now that their lives depended on him.

That was what he told himself as he followed after his ex-girlfriend and her team leader.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 32**

 _First Mission (Part II)_

* * *

Red lights flickered across the whole complex and a deafening alarm rang.

Joan stumbled as several powerful explosions rocked the earth and caused parts of the ceiling to come loose. This place was well fortified so the chance of an actual cave in was slim but she didn't want to take any chances.

"Ready, Rouge?" She glanced at the youngest sister who was shivering, gripping the handle of Fia Vesta so tightly her knuckles were turning white. This was her first operation with the rest of them so it made sense that she was nervous.

"I-I think I am." Even so, she nodded exaggeratedly. Joan knew she wanted to be useful to all of them, that was why she insisted so strongly to tag along. And secretly, Joan was glad she did. Violet was pretty strict about involving no one outside their family in these White Fang raids. Joan would rather have been with her team, but having all her sisters was just as reassuring.

"Just stick to what I told you to do. You don't have to kill anyone. Leave taking them down to me." Joan rested a comforting hand on her shoulder and Rouge nodded. Not that she planned to kill anyone either. Most of these men were conscripts, forced to work for the White Fang against their will. They still had a chance to be redeemed, and Joan would be damned sure they got it.

Over the sound of the alarm they could now hear the clamoring of at least a hundred faunus as the masked soldiers stumbled out of the mess hall in a giant mob, making their way right towards them, predictably heading for the Paladins.

Her and Rouge were stationed right at the edge of a rather wide junction. Several pathways and small structures lined the room, and the one right behind them was the most direct route to their arsenal. It wasn't exactly the most strategic location to fight a hundred people and it wouldn't take much effort for those guys to start flanking them.

That was where Rouge came in. As all the soldiers came out another one of the adjacent hallways, she raised Fia Vesta high above her head. It gave a small flicker of light and then an unholy inferno erupted from the tip.

Those searing hot flames could melt the flesh right off your bones just by getting within a couple feet of them. Her and Rouge were both unaffected as the latter's Semblance wrapped around them, shielding them from such a horrible fate.

The fire raced forward, splitting in two and forming a narrow pathway. One that led right from them to the other end of the room, boxing the White Fang members into a bottleneck, leaving them unable to spread out and thus unable to surround the two sisters.

With only a narrow line to travel, and having to steer as clear of the flames as possible, the hundred masked Faunus did the only thing they could do: Charge straightforward, weapons drawn and pointed right at them. Even if they were surprised by the flames, they probably thought it would be easy to mow down two adolescent girls.

Joan was ready to show them how wrong that line of thought was. She created a barrier in front of Rouge, one that would shield her from any attack coming from directly in front of them. Meanwhile, she crouched down and ducked her head below the deployed shield.

Not even a second later and gunfire erupted, adding to all of the ear-shattering noise that was already transpiring around them. Her shield gave a small jolt as hundreds of bullets rained down upon it. Rouge flinched as even more glazed off the barrier in front of her.

She heard several whistles and poked one eye curiously over the top of the shield to see several RPGs fly. Those struck the shield, but no explosion followed, instead all that energy turned into a bright yellow light that it absorbed. She could feel her sword beginning to vibrate as all the stored energy in it resonated.

Well, that was probably enough. In fact, it was probably overkill at this point. She only wanted to incapacitate these men, not murder them. With a deep breath, she got to her feet and focused on the handle of Crocea Mors, trying to properly fluctuate its power.

The blade began glowing brightly with golden light so bright that the charging soldiers had to slow and shield their eyes. In that moment, all their gunfire ceased and Joan didn't waste the opportunity.

She pointed Crocea Mors forward and the entire pathway Rouge had created was engulfed in a golden energy attack. Pained screams and curses echoed over the roaring inferno and buzzing alarm. When her beam of light pittered out of existence, all one hundred of their enemies were on the ground, unconscious and Aura drained, but alive.

Rouge averted her eyes away from the scene. Joan wished she could say this sight wasn't something she was already familiar with, but she was far past that point. "You did good, Rouge." She nodded to her, but those words appeared to do little to alleviate her youngest sister.

With a small sigh, Joan raised a hand to the headset in her ear. "Our end, clear. Where to next, Autumn?"


	38. Change

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Change_

* * *

"It's quiet."

That was the last thing Ruby had said before drifting off to sleep. It was those words Yang kept coming back to as she lay in bed awake.

It really was quiet.

When was it that they had become comfortable with having so many additional people in this room? Even when it was cramped, so cramped they couldn't even have a bed to themselves, it was something they had grown to tolerate and actually kind of enjoy. Every night hanging out in this room was a different experience.

It seemed like life had been a series of new experiences lately in general. Unconsciously, Yang was stroking the jagged line on her throat. No longer could she feel the cushion of hair beneath her back as she layed on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. What hair she had left was haloed across the pillow beneath her head.

An involuntary shiver ran up Yang's spine as she recalled the incident that generated this scar. The palpable fear in Ruby's eyes as Jaune's eldest sister threatened to do the same to her was haunting. Yang had never wanted to go through that again, helpless to save her baby sister. She certainly didn't expect to when fighting Jaune's sisters.

Why was it that was such a surprise? Jaune had never told them this would be easy. He made sure they knew from the very beginning how overwhelmingly strong and powerful his sisters were. This was something Yang thought she had learned after that first battle in Vale. It wasn't until she was put in a situation where she truly couldn't do anything did it finally click: Jaune's sisters were terrifying.

Again she shuddered. Not only could she recall Ruby's terrified look, but Violet's confident gaze. They hadn't been so much as capable of laying a single finger on her. She had dominated them… injuring them all past the point of battle in the span of a single second. How were they supposed to compete with that?

She wondered if Jaune even had a reasonable plan? "Ja-" Before she even realized it, she had rolled over and leaned up, halfway through calling out to him to ask; only to find the corner he always curled up in empty.

That was right. This was why it was so quiet in here. Even when Jaune and his sisters never said anything, it still felt like the whole room was louder and more alive with them in it.

"Yang?" Blake called from the bed beneath her. Just loud enough for her to hear without waking Ruby or Weiss. The blonde winced lightly, having not realised anyone else was still awake. That was assuming Yang hadn't been the one to wake her up. Her partner had always been a rather light sleeper. Wordlessly, she leaned over the side of the bed, lilac eyes catching a small glimpse of amber in the darkened room.

She just really hoped she didn't want to talk about the scar or her hair. She knew it was coming eventually, but still didn't feel like quite reliving that out loud just yet. Maybe Blake could sense she didn't want it brought up, because instead she started with something completely different. "Did something happen between you and Jaune at Kessel?"

Had it been that obvious that she had been about to call out for him? Doing her best to give away nothing, Yang grinned cheekily, knowing Blake had no trouble seeing it in the dark. "What's this? Hoping for something juicy like in your smutty novels?"

"You know that's not why I'm asking." Blake deadpanned, always quick to be a buzzkill. "I know you can sometimes be a bit of a hard teaser… but what you did to Jaune and Reese seemed oddly personal." Damn. Yang hadn't thought anyone else was really paying attention to that.

"Are you thinking I might have a thing for Vomit Boy?" She continued to not let her smile falter, determined not giving away any of what she was actually thinking. If Blake wanted information, she was going to have to work for it.

"You tell me."

Yang was surprised by the commanding tone in her usually more docile partner. Blake was normally pretty good about respecting boundaries, but apparently this was something she was really curious about. Yang would admit it, she was kind of impressed. "Alright then, if you want to know so badly."

It wasn't like she had anything to hide from her about what she was feeling. After all the things she had convinced Blake to tell her about herself, she supposed this was only fair anyways. "You remember when we first met him?" Yang knew Blake nodded, only because of the sound of her hair brushing against the pillow. "Now that I think about it, you asked me way back then if he was everything I had hoped for."

At this, Blake let out a short chuckle. "As I recall, you were pretty disappointed."

"You sure got that right." Yang rolled over the rest of the way, laying across her stomach and letting arms dangle over the side of the bed. "I'm not going to lie, after that first one on one chat I had with him, the only thing I felt was pity." That was the only thing she felt for some time. Even when she saw his hands, that pity only became more deeply rooted. Those scars of his made her realize how twisted he was, thinking himself alive only for the sake of his sisters. That was no way to live.

Even when she spared against him. Even when he knocked out Pyrrha - someone she had never been capable of beating - her opinion did not change. Because that was even more sad. He was actually a strong, adaptable fighter. Yet he wasn't capable of seeing that, trapped in the shadow loomed over him by those sisters he lived for. So the only thing she could see when looking at him was pity.

"The first time I saw the fragment of an actual human being was that night we went to Junior's." Yang could still recall the blood that dripped down on her cheek and the smile on his face as he held up that piece of broken concrete. "He saved my life. Three times." Twice more after that he defended her, going so far as to waste precious glyph charges to do so. He gave up the chance he needed to save his sisters to protect her.

"He didn't really think about it. He just kind of moved. That's when I realized exactly what kind of person Jaune really is: He's the type of idiot that just can't let someone in front of him get hurt." People showed who they really were when forced to make split-second decisions, at least Yang believed so. That was the first time she really felt like she met Jaune.

Only to then have him pull back from her. "Right after that, right when I finally felt like I figured him out a little, he quit talking to all of us." It felt like she had taken one step forward only to take two massive steps back. "Then all at once he rebounds, calling me his friend and asking about why I'm so interested in helping him."

" _Oh,_ the audacity." Blake interrupted for the first time with a sarcastic drawl, causing Yang to roll her eyes. Okay, so she probably had that one coming.

"I don't like playing hot and cold. It's frustrating. He's lucky he had a good reason for it." She for real would've punched him if he hadn't been able to convince her. "After he explained himself, I told him about my mom." Blake of all people knew how important that was to Yang. While it wasn't something she tried to hide, it wasn't something she just told people either. "He… offered to help me look for her."

No one she ever told had done that before. Most people tried to dissuade her from it. She couldn't exactly describe what it was she felt when he asked her that. She supposed in a way it made her happy, even though it shouldn't have. Finding her mother was her mission, not anyone else's. Maybe it was because she realized that they were doing the same thing by helping him save his sisters? Or maybe it was because he was the first one to ever offer? Either way, she had agreed to let him help, something she wouldn't have done for anyone else.

"Then last night happened." Yang's hands once again found the rigid line on her neck. As she touched it, toes curled under the blankets and her spine gave another shudder. "I think now… maybe I finally understand a little more about why he turned out the way he did." Those dodged glances from strangers cut deep every time. And she had only dealt with it for a couple hours. She could only imagine what it was like, living with something like that for as long as he had.

Not to mention about what they did to his Semblance. That knowledge, combined with her own small taste of his experience… it felt like she saw Jaune in a whole new light. Gone was the pity that dominated her every time she looked at him. Instead it was replaced by something else. Something she couldn't quite place. What she did know was it had a comforting effect.

"This time it really felt like I got the guy pegged down. Only... for a sudden long-lost ex-girlfriend to pop up? I mean, are you shitting me? I thought for sure with the way he was, he had never so much as even tried to ask a girl out, let alone went out with one intimately enough that she'd travel across the world to make sure he's okay."

"So it's not that you're jealous…" Blake started slowly, finally beginning to see the reason behind her actions. "...but just angry because every time it seems like you figure him out, he manages to surprise you?"

"It's not that I'm angry. I know he wasn't trying to hide it from me or anything. If it felt like I was teasing rough, it's just because it feels like I'm back to square one, trying to figure him out, _again_. Guys were _not_ nearly this complicated back at Signal." Figuring them out had been a walk in the park. All she had to do was lean over and wink and they practically tripped over themselves just trying to get to her.

At that Blake snorted. "Sounds to me like he's perfect for you. You'll certainly never get bored of him that way." There actually was something to what she was saying, Yang would admit.

"You're just hoping I have a crush on him so you can finally get back at me for all those times I teased you about monkey boy."

"Can't blame me for hoping, can you?"

"No I cannot." Yang pulled her head up from around the edge before flopping back onto the pillow. The whole bunk teetered with the motion, but somehow it didn't collapse. "Believe me. If I develop feelings for Jaune; he, you _,_ and everyone else will know in pretty short order."

" _If_ you develop feelings?" Blake parroted back.

"Well yeah. Nothing's impossible." Yang touched her shortened hair, recalling the first thing Jaune said upon seeing the new length. There was also that feeling of warmth in her chest when he did his best to cheer her up about the new scar. It was an oddly familiar feeling, one she had first felt back when she started dating while at Signal. It had been several years since she last felt it, however. So she would definitely say it wasn't impossible. "Besides, according to that Reese chick… it sounds like he's an excellent kisser."

"Yang…" Blake groaned in disbelief. That was the last word passed between either of them and Yang could finally feel sleep begin to take her. All of the previous anxiety was gone and she didn't mind the quiet so much anymore.

She must have really needed to get all that off her chest.

* * *

"You want me to hold that for you?" Reese shifted the tray she was carrying to one hand, extending an open palm out to Jaune to take his.

"It's alright, I got it." Jaune shrugged it off and she cocked an eyebrow at him. It was pretty obvious to her since last night that his hands were more injured than normal. In most everyday situations, they didn't seem to bother him much. Whatever happened in his recent fight against Joan must have really done a number on him. Even now, he was balancing the tray on his forearms, not putting any of the weight on his hands or wrists.

He ignored her pointed gaze as he scanned Beacon's cafeteria, looking for team RWBY and his two sisters. "You guys on a date so early in the morning?" Both of them jumped as Yang's smiling face popped up between them. "You sneak away from your leader or something?" She asked, looking around exaggeratedly for Arslan.

"Arslan isn't much of a breakfast person. She usually meditates before classes." Reese looked Yang up and down. Being only the second time she seen her since coming to Beacon, it was still taking some getting used to recognizing her with shorter hair. She never thought Yang would willingly cut it. Although it might have something to do with the scar she was obscuring with a bright orange muffler.

"That's no fun. Here I thought we could get to know each other." Yang shrugged it off, lilac eyes catching the tray balancing precariously on Jaune's arms. "Here, let me take that for you." Without waiting for a response she snatched it from him.

"Hey!" Jaune began to protest but Yang was already walking off.

"We're all sitting over this way." He partially extended his arm to reach for the distancing tray before just giving an exhausted sigh and following after her. Reese couldn't help but notice the red tinting at his cheeks as she stepped into place with him. She glanced from Jaune's face to the back of Yang's head. Now this… was interesting.

"I didn't know you were into the forceful types, Jaune." She really should've had her scroll out and ready, the expression on Jaune's face like he was trying to re-swallow his own lung, coughing and sputtering all over the place.

Yang paused long enough to turn around and make sure he was okay, but Reese waved it off, so with a shrug she continued to guide them. Reese grinned mischievously as fear welled up in Jaune's eyes. "Don't you worry," She leaned in and whispered just loud enough for him to hear. "Your secret is safe with me."

She never got tired of that look of absolute shock that always crossed his face. It was good to know he still wore his expressions like an open book. A part of her had been afraid the tragedy at Domremy would've left him closed off. No doubt the students helping him here at Beacon had a part in keeping him up to his old self.

"Y-you're not mad?" To her surprise, he didn't deny what she said. Unlike him, though, she didn't show any of that shock on her face. Instead, maintaining a neutral expression when turning back to face him.

"We broke up over a year ago now. You don't really think I've been sitting at Haven, laying awake thinking about you every night?"

"That's not what I meant!" His hushed whisper nearly became something louder than that. The panic in his voice was too much for her and face twisted with barely restrained laughter.

"I'm just screwing with you, Jaune. Don't take everything so seriously." She leaned over and bumped him lightly with her shoulder. "Look, I wouldn't be here if I didn't care. Our relationship is in the past though, yeah?"

The complicated expression on his face told her that wasn't entirely the case. She supposed they probably should sit down some time and talk about that final argument they had. Last night hadn't seemed like the right time, since they were still getting settled. And now would definitely not be the time as Yang finally arrived at the table the other members of RWBY were all gathered around.

That just meant it would have to be later.

"Here we are!" Yang dropped Jaune's tray down right next to a towering man that looked only vaguely familiar to Reese. He must have been in the tournament last year, but she really had a hard time believing she forgot someone as big as he was.

"Morning, Yatsu." Jaune greeted him casually, plopping down in front of his tray. Reese slid down in the open space between him and Autumn, much to the younger girl's irritation if the dissatisfied grunt she made was any indication.

"Good morning, Jaune." The tall man Reese only knew as Yatsu nodded to him. Around him, two long, furry rabbit ears poked out before the face of another girl leaned over the table to get a look at Reese.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She called across the two boys. "Ruby told us a little about you this morning. My name is Velvet Scarlatina."

"Yatsuhashi Daichi." The tall man formally introduced himself. "We're friends of Jaune's." That was a word Reese had never heard others use to describe themselves in relation to Jaune. Just went to show some things did change after all.

"Name's Reese Chloris. Attending Haven." She didn't know how much Ruby had or hadn't told them already, so she simply left it at that. If they had questions for her, they would surely ask.

"So did you all miss us last night?" Yang plopped down on the opposite end of the table, leaning over it as she looked at the three Arc siblings.

"Not at all." Autumn responded without missing a beat, earning a chop in the head from the sibling on either side of her.

"I missed you." Rouge quickly tried to cover for her older sister. Yet another thing that hadn't changed, Reese noted with a dry smile. "All of you." The redhead looked at each member of RWBY individually, before turning to Reese. "I am also very glad to see you again." She said in her most reassuring voice possible.

"I already know, Rouge." She leaned over and jostled her red hair. Rouge's reassurance was unnecessary after the truckload of questions about what she'd been up to since they last saw each other. Still, Reese appreciated that about the younger girl, that genuine care she had.

"Has anyone seen my twin?" Jaune, perhaps wisely, deftly avoided answering the question while changing the topic. Although, he did look concerned about the whereabouts of his only other freed sister.

"We assume she is still spending time with her team." Weiss answered without glancing up from her food.

"They have been apart for a while. Maybe it would be best to just give them time to themselves?" Blake responded next, amber eyes glancing across the cafeteria for some glimpse of the other team.

A frown marred Jaune's face as he followed Blake's gaze. To no avail if that disappointed sigh that escaped his lips a moment later were any indication. Reese still didn't really know enough about what was going on to make of the situation, but she was a little stumped to find the twin's not hanging off each other if given the chance. Just another thing that had changed, she supposed.

Whether that change was a good one or a bad one, she couldn't tell yet.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 33**

 _First Mission (Part III)_

* * *

Ciel couldn't help it.

She doubled over with laughter at what she imagined was pure shock beneath the masks on the White Fang's faces. One second, a couple dozen of them were standing there, just patrolling the hanger for any sign of intrusion (not very well, seeing as they never found her). The next and a freak storm of orange lightning ripped through the ceiling and wiped out half their Paladins in one single strike.

Roaring flames engulfed half the hanger and hunks of rock rained down on several of the Paladins that hadn't been hit, breaking them apart too. Somehow, not a single person had been hit by any of the bolts or falling debris. No doubt that was thanks to Autumn's perfect control. Ciel might have been frustrated because these people weren't exactly going to give her the same courtesy that Autumn just gave them, but she had been looking forward to this and the more of them alive, the more fun she could have.

The two dozen faunus didn't disappoint either, immediately getting over the shock and running around like chickens with their heads cut off as they tried to find a Paladin that hadn't been damaged by Autumn's attack. Fortunately for them, there was at least one for each of them, but not too many more. What had once been at least trillions worth of lien was reduced to only that couple dozen in just a matter of seconds.

"Alright, alright. Time to see what you guys are made of." Ciel twirled her dagger around like a baton before giving it a dramatic flick. A wall of ice easily the height of the Paladins and as wide as the whole hanger appeared in front of her in an instant. She sucked in a deep breath before exhaling onto the glacier.

The wall of ice began crumbling apart immediately after she did that, as six distinct figures took shape in the collapsing structure. When the wall completely gave way, there were six sculptures towering over her at the same height as the paladins. Ice sculptures that had the liking of giant, cuddly teddy bears.

Ciel grinned brightly as she skipped around one of them, inspecting her work. "Not bad, not bad." She then turned towards the now moving mechs as all two dozen of them charged at her. "Alright boys! Let's see what you're made of! I even gave y'all a handicap and only created a fourth of what you got!"

One of the Paladins arms lifted and fired a series of rockets right at where she was standing. They never even got close as one of her ice sculptures stepped in front of her and batted them aside, sending them spiralling around the hanger and exploding all over. "My, my. Not very friendly, are you boys?" Ciel shrugged, grin not diminishing in the slightest. "Ah well. Bring it on!"

Her six sculptures charged past and up to the two dozen Paladins. Ciel watched as a scene like something straight out of a movie unfolded in front of her. Or maybe it was more like a cinematic video game? After all, she was kind of like the player in this scenario.

Gunfire echoed across the whole hanger as her teddy-bear-lookalikes were chipped apart by the Paladins' miniguns. That didn't stop them from charging relentlessly. The ground shook as several of the Paladins were tackled to the ground. One sculpture caught another in a sweeping kick, her creations moving far more agilely than the man-controlled Paladins were capable of.

Explosions sent scraps of metal scattering in all directions, some of those pieces flying right over her shoulder. Rockets whizzed around the whole room. One man screamed as he was ripped out of his Paladin and sent flying. With an audible crack he hit the ground and ceased moving. He was probably alive thanks to his Aura. At least she hoped, games were no fun if people got killed.

The ground shook violently and she tilted her head up to see one of the Paladins had slipped past the rest of her creations and was right upon her, swinging its fist down in an attempt to splatter her. "That's cheating." Glacies Inferno created a thick layer of ice at her feet and the clunky robot's metal feet lost all traction as it slipped and flailed, its punch slamming the ground just next to her.

As it crashed onto the ground, the hull cracked open and a mask tumbled out of it. Looking out at her, with absolute fear plastered across his face, was the pilot. She smiled sweetly at him and winked. "Hey there, cutie."

The man didn't get a chance to respond as one of her ice creations came over and ripped him from the cockpit. He went flying across the room, landing right on top of the rest of his buddies that were starting to form a pile.

She gave a bored sigh and skated across the ice to get a better view of the action. In only a couple minutes she had reduced their hulking machines down to half. Meanwhile, only one of her own creations had fallen apart.

Well, this was as good as wrapped up. She clicked the mic on her ear. "This is Ciel. All clear."


	39. JNPR

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _JNPR_

* * *

"Joan, Joan! Let's go!" Nora waved enthusiastically from the top of the stairs.

The blonde swore, the more Nora healed the more limitless her energy seemed to become. No longer was she bound to that wheelchair, having gotten rid of it after only the second day. Although, she still had a pair of crutches to lean on for the time being until she made a complete recovery. At the rate she was going though, that would be sooner than later.

Ren and Pyrrha stood by her side, the three of them looking down as they waited for Joan to finish her business. Deciding not to keep them waiting much longer, she turned back to Doctor Oobleck and gave a short bow. "Thank you for letting me attend class again. I know I'm behind… more than I was to begin with-" Let's face it; History was never her strongest subject. "-but I'll do my best to catch back up."

"Pay it no mind, no mind at all." Oobleck continued to talk a mile a minute, even during his whole lecture. It made it impossible for Joan to keep up, but something about the whole thing made her feel a strange sense of content. Despite everything that had happened, it was almost like life just picked up around it, leaving nothing more than a blank gap that she tried to ignore. "Your brother has worked most hard to bring you and all your other sisters in. It would be a great disrespect to his efforts to deny your enrollment here after all that."

"Yeah…" She supposed there _was_ one difference. Her brother was here now. After all those years of begging him to try and become a Hunter with her and him refusing, in the end he wound up here anyways. Although it was under less than ideal circumstances. "...I'll see you tomorrow for class, Professor."

"Doctor!" He corrected, but she was already no longer listening as she head up the stairs. Thinking about her brother, it had been several days since she'd seen him. That wasn't intentional, it just seemed like she was trying so hard to put her life at Beacon back together, a life he had never been a part of, that she just hadn't the opportunity to spend time with him.

"Do you want to head back to the dorm room? Get some rest?" Pyrrha asked only once Joan was right in front of them. The blonde nodded silently to the suggestion, not so much because she wanted to head to their room, but because it was right across from RWBY's. And supposedly Jaune had been staying with them so maybe there was a chance she would run into him.

"Is something on your mind?" While they walked down the hallway, Ren's fingers gently brushed against the back of her hand. She gave a small start at the contact, blue eyes widening and darting to meet his. There was unwavering concern in his magenta orbs, one that now she was paying attention was shared by Pyrrha and Nora.

"I-I'm fine, guys. Really." She hurriedly insisted but knew those words did little to alleviate their concerns. They had all hung out for too long for her to lie to them like that anymore. "I just… I feel a little guilty because I haven't spent much time with my other siblings." Not just Jaune, but Rouge and Autumn as well. She had hardly seen any of them since coming back. "Don't misunderstand. I'm really glad to spend so much time with you all again… I just think maybe I need to find a way to balance it with them too."

"That's silly, Joan. Why would we misunderstand that?" Like always seemed to be the case, Nora laughed away her concerns without so much as missing a beat.

"She's right." Pyrrha agreed, resting a hand on Joan's shoulder. "Of course you want to spend time with your brother and sisters. We're sorry if you felt like you owed us some kind of obligation and didn't go to them before because of that."

"No, it's nothing like that." Joan didn't want them to feel responsible either. If anything, it would be nice if she could hang out with both groups at the same time. Bring them together in a way she never had been able to before. The only sibling her team had ever met before all this was Violet. And that had only been for the first mission that ended up sending them after the White Fang.

"Joan! There you are!" That opportunity appeared to present itself sooner than expected as a little red blur tackled into Joan's gut, knocking the wind from her.

"Rouge…" She gasped for breath, hands wrapping around her younger sister half in a hug, half in an effort to stabilize herself. It was a needless effort, the little redhead already clinging tightly to Joan and supporting her. Sometimes she forgot how clingy their youngest sister could be. It was usually Jaune on the receiving end of these tight hugs, but it was something they had all experienced at one point or another.

"I had been looking for you." Rouge tilted her head up, grinning brightly at Joan from down below. "I am most relieved to see you are already attending classes again. Big brother was concerned you may have been locked away inside your room." That was some confidence they had in her, not that she could entirely blame them. The thought had been tempting, although the draw to return to normalcy had been stronger.

"I'm made of tougher stuff than that. Give me some credit." Joan matched Rouge's grin as she flicked her playfully in the head, earning a giggle from the younger girl. "Are you sure it's not you three sitting in a room all day?"

"I will have you know I take frequent trips to the library." Rouge said that as if that wasn't just another room she sat in all day, likely only moving to switch books. "Autumn is currently meditating in the flower garden, hoping to find another clue of our sister's whereabouts."

Joan's brow furrowed in concern. "Autumn isn't spending time in there all by herself, is she?" It might have just been her imagination, but she couldn't help but feel like a majority of the student body was glaring at her behind her back. No doubt, not all of them were as understanding about what happened as their friends were. Of course, none of them said anything to Joan while she was with her team, but neither Rouge nor Autumn had that security.

To her relief, Rouge shook her head. "I believe she asked Mister Winchester and one of his teammates to accompany her." Joan started to nod along to Rouge's words before the oddity of them registered.

"Wait- by Mister Winchester… do you mean Cardin?" Autumn and Cardin in the same room together sounded like a recipe for disaster. Especially if Autumn was trying to concentrate and utilize her Semblance.

"Indeed." Rouge didn't appear to find the thought distressing in the least, merely nodding as if she thought it was wonderful. "Autumn will not admit it, but I believe she finds his presence reassuring." Hold up a second, what!? "When I checked up on them the other day, he and his teammates sat on a bench next to the garden and caught up on their homework. They have all missed class because they were trying to help us."

"They… did?" Joan knew Cardin had come out to save her, but his teammates had been noticeably missing during that mission. Rouge looked taken aback by Joan's own confusion.

"Did you not know? Luteus Oblido seriously wounded Mister Winchester's teammates with her lightning attacks and Mister Thrush nearly succumbed to his injuries." She was saying Autumn almost killed Russel now? "Even so, the four of them do not treat Autumn poorly because of that. Whether Autumn will admit this or not, she is most grateful for that. If even they can forgive her… does that not mean others can as well?"

Joan hadn't realized how much she had missed. She only assumed Rouge and Autumn were clinging to Jaune. It had never occurred to her that they would branch off and form friends with others while she was gone. Especially considering how abysmal a track record they all had before now. "How's… Jaune taking this?" What was he even doing if not hanging out with Rouge or Autumn?

"Better than you would think." It took Joan several seconds to comprehend that those words hadn't come from her youngest sister… but rather someone standing several feet behind her. And it took another couple seconds to realize she recognized that voice rather well.

"Reese?" Joan asked before her eyes even settled on the face of her brother's ex-girlfriend. It surely had to be impossible. She should have been in Haven, right? The last time she had been at Beacon was for the Vytal Festival; not that they had exactly talked during that time. Joan really had no desire to see the girl who had torn her brother's heart into pieces and it appeared Reese had been just as eager to not seek her out.

It was without a doubt Reese who stood in front of her now, though. She barely looked any different, mint hair spiked and combed to the side, dark marks under either eye, and that purple hoodie she was so fond of. "Been awhile, huh?" She held her hand up in casual greeting, as if her very presence wasn't a bombshell in and of itself.

"D-does Jaune know you're here!?" Ah, her voice just cracked. Way to go Joan. Skip right past the greeting and jump right into asking something personal.

Reese didn't appear angry by Joan's lack of delicacy, instead grinning teasingly and slipping both hands in her pockets. "I would hope so. Seeing as we've been sleeping in the same room since I got here."

"Wdhgfh-!" Joan's mouth failed to formulate anything remotely resembling a word as she about choked on her own spit.

"As articulate as ever." Reese threw back her head and laughed out loud, apparently finding Joan's inability to comprehend highly amusing. "Don't get your underwear all twisted. Rouge and Autumn are staying in the same room as us, along with my leader. I assure you, our relationship right now is strictly professional." There was no way that was true. Reese wouldn't be here if it wasn't for personal interests.

"I'm sorry. I don't believe we've been introduced." Pyrrha, to both Joan's relief and horror, stepped in between them and held her hand out. Relief, because it gave her a chance to catch her breath and reorganize her thoughts. Horror because she had no idea how Reese was going to respond.

The mint-haired girl grinned brightly as she pulled a hand from her pocket and gripped Pyrrha's firmly. "Nice to meet you, Pyrrha Nikos- You're kind of a big deal at Haven." She added on when she noticed Pyrrha's momentary surprise. "My name is Reese Chloris. I used to attend Signal Academy with Joan… and I'm also Jaune's ex-girlfriend." Damnit, somehow Joan knew that was coming next.

"O-oh?" Pyrrha was predictably thrown off by such a blunt proclamation, which only seemed to please Reese even more.

"How about I tell you three about it at the party tomorrow?" Reese turned to Nora and Ren, meeting their eyes to make sure they knew she was including them as well.

"What party?" This was the first Joan had heard of that and judging by the looks of confusion in all her teammates, that went for them too.

"That is actually why I came looking for you." Somehow, Joan had forgotten Rouge was still clinging to her until she spoke up again. "Ruby convinced Professor Goodwitch to allow us to have a late gathering in the library for everyone involved in saving our sisters. It is in part to welcome you back, part to introduce everyone to Reese and Miss Arslan, and also just a chance for everyone to relax."

"I'm… surprised Professor Goodwitch would agree to such a thing." Ren mumbled the exact words Joan was thinking. She couldn't imagine the ever-strict Goodwitch allowing for any kind of late-night gathering, no matter what the cause. Then again, if it was Ruby behind it, that might have explained it. She could be… persistent, for lack of a better word.

"She will be there to chaperone us as it will be after curfew." Well, that made a little bit more sense now. "You will all come, right?" Rouge finally pulled away from Joan as she looked expectantly to her team. The absolute, vulnerable puppy-dog look she gave, after years of practicing as the youngest sibling in a family of eight of them, was something no one could refuse.

"Of course we will." Pyrrha answered immediately, as not even she was capable of keeping Rouge waiting any more than a second for a response. Immediately after saying such, she reached forward and jostled Rouge's red hair.

"Yeah. There's no way we would miss a party! Right, Ren?" The only male of their team nodded silently in agreement to Nora's outburst. That was all Rouge needed to look satisfied, however.

"Great! I'm on my way to invite Miss Velvet and her team too." Rouge gave Joan one last quick hug before she began to bee-line it further down the hallway, not even waiting for a response. "I will talk to you later, Joan." It would appear she was taking lessons from Ruby on the secrets to limitless energy. That thought was honestly kind of terrifying.

"I'll see you all there, then." Reese shook her head and gave a backwards wave as she set off after Rouge with a more relaxed gait. Joan supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised. Of all their siblings, Reese had gotten along the best with Rouge. That probably had something to do with the fact that she was the one that was most okay with Jaune and her dating.

"Bye, bye!" Nora waved after them exaggeratedly before turning on Joan with a megawatt grin. Something about the curious look in her teal eyes made Joan uncomfortable. As was usually the case, though, she noticed this too late to change the topic. "You never told us your brother used to have a girlfriend."

"To be fair, the only thing we knew about him was that he existed." Ren pointed out nonchalantly, yet somehow his words cut deeply. She hadn't avoided talking about her brother that much… had she? Surely they knew at least something about Jaune before they had met him. She must have told them about all the silly things they used to do.

"We did know that he and Joan were very similar personality-wise." Thank you, Pyrrha. That was right! She had told them about how they always had the same gut-reaction, which usually resulted in them responding in sync.

"Ooooh…" Nora snapped her fingers as if she just remembered. "Does that also mean you used to have a secret boyfriend that we don't know about?"

"How did you come to that conclusion!?" Seriously, sometimes it was impossible to follow Nora's train of thought. Just becaused they reacted similarly didn't mean they did everything the same. Maybe if Reese had a twin brother… nope, putting an end to that train of thought right there.

"I don't know, but it sounds to me like you're avoiding the question." Nora gave an accusatory point, and if it wasn't for the huge grin plastered on her face, Joan would've thought she was actually being interrogated about it right now. It was only after spending time with Nora as long as she had that she knew it was more teasing than anything.

"I've never had a boyfriend, Nora." Sometimes it was just better to play along with her most hyperactive teammate. "Just because we're twins doesn't mean everything we did was the same." Hopefully this answer was enough to satisfy her and put an end to this silly discussion. Of course, she really should've known that would be giving Nora too much credit.

"You hear that, Ren?" Nora leaned over to her partner, patting him roughly on the back and stumbling him forward. "Sounds to me like you have a chance!"

"N-Nora!" He whirled on his partner, jaw unhinged as he stared at her with wide magenta eyes. The complexion of his face was becoming a deeper shade of red by the second, something Joan realized was probably happening to her too if the heat she was feeling was any indication. "Why would you say that?" It had been a long time since she had seen Ren this irritated. Naturally, the last time had been at Nora too.

"...What?" His partner tilted her head innocently, looking like she was trying to comprehend where Ren's sudden frustration had just come from. In a way, it was fascinating to watch her go from that to a look of sudden shock, quickly followed by guilt. "Oh… oops?" That was really the only thing she had to say?

"Oh my." Pyrrha could only sigh in exasperation as she walked up to Nora, placing a hand on her buzzed hair. "Maybe… the two of us should go ahead?" Wait, wait, wait. That sounded like a horrible idea. If the two of them left, that would leave her alone here with Ren… which may or may not have been the point. Joan wasn't exactly sure she wanted to be left alone with Ren in this awkward atmosphere, however.

"I would appreciate it…" Ren said with an exasperated sigh before she was capable of putting any of these previous thoughts into words. Joan was helpless as she watched her partner drag Nora away. Her only beacons of hope getting smaller and smaller while she held her hand out in a half-hearted gesture to will them to stay. There was no such luck and they disappeared from view, leaving her and Ren irrevocably alone in the hallway. Where were all the other students? Beacon was huge, damnit. Yet not a single other soul was in sight, leaving her completely alone with Ren at the moment.

"Sorry about that." Ren rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, which meant at least he was aware of what a damnable position Nora had left them both in. Not just Nora, but every single other person present in the academy as far as Joan was concerned. Would it kill someone to walk by right about now? Apparently so seeing as no one did.

"I-It's fine. I know how Nora is. Sometimes she doesn't even know what she is saying. I bet she didn't even put any thought into that at all. Just her and more of her usual nonsense." This was it, Joan was totally giving Ren his way out if he wanted it. All he had to do was recognize that and take it.

"No, she and I are childhood friends, after all. It would only make sense that she knows how I feel." Ren didn't take her up on that chance at all, proceeding forward naturally. "Honestly, this is something I already admitted to your brother." Wait, he had told him about this? She had been under the impression her brother and team hadn't gotten along at all, especially not well enough to talk about something personal like this. What was with these contradicting signals she was constantly getting?

"Joan." Ren said her name in a manner so serious, she couldn't help but straighten up automatically, her blue eyes making contact with his magenta ones. Out of the corner of those eyes, she could see Ren's fists clench in determination, shoulders lock in place, and face prepare itself for what he was about to say. "The truth is… I-"

"W-wait!" Joan held up her hands, the word flying from her mouth before she even realized she had spit it out. Thankfully, the only male member of her team gave pause regardless, although she couldn't help but feel guilty when she noticed the determination in his eyes waver. She couldn't let that stop what she was going to say next, however. "Ren… I have an idea what you're about to say."

Her eyes shifted, dashing around from point to point. At first, no matter where she glanced it ended up on him, whether it was his fists, his chin, or his feet. In the end, she settled for the carpet between them both. "I know what you want to say, and… I know this a lot to ask, but would it be _too_ much to ask that you wait?" Finally, her eyes met with his again.

What she saw when she did was only confusion. Confusion, and while she was hard pressed to admit it, a small influence of pain. "...Wait?" He asked, that same pain in his eyes leaking into his voice. "Wait for what?"

"M-my other sisters!" Joan supplied that as nothing more than a lame excuse. "Only half of us have been saved so far. Less than that, if you think about it. There's still four more of us that are possessed by our swords." Or she supposed it was their swords? She didn't exactly have one anymore, unless you counted Pyrrha's weapon which had been gifted to her. "This… it isn't over yet… and until all my sisters are safe, I feel it won't be." While what she was saying was true, she couldn't help but feel it wasn't the entire truth. Just some kind of stop-gap to delay the inevitable.

Ren appeared to recognize what she was saying, however. Although that only made her feel more guilty about asking him to wait. "I see…" His face held a small remnant of hope in it, but the overlying feeling was certainly that of rejection. "That makes sense. I'm… I'm sorry for trying to spring this on you now. Of course I should have realized-" His voice hitched.

"Ren." Joan cut him off, her eyes trying to implore into him how much she sincerely meant the next words she would say. "It's not a rejection. It's just… I just need a little bit more time right now. I'm still trying to get back to normal. That means both here at Beacon and with my siblings at home. So… don't make that expression- please?" She didn't know how else to assure him other than that.

Regardless, it seemed to have some sort of effect, as the despair from Ren's face diminished ever so slightly. "Right. It's just for now. That… I understand." His eyes, in contrast to his words, said that he didn't completely. For now, it was going to have to be enough.

Although now there was the matter of how to proceed from here. Walking back to their dorm room together was going to be pretty awkward. Not to mention, if they came back together, it might give their teammates the wrong impression. "I'll uh… head back first, then." Ren nodded in the direction Pyrrha and Nora had gone.

"Yeah… okay." Joan was barely able to bring herself to say those words. If she allowed Ren to walk away now, that would be it. This whole conversation would be over and there would be no taking back this answer. She didn't want to hurt Ren… and if everything about her life hadn't been shaken up the way it had, it was entirely possible this conversation would've gone completely different. However, the truth of the matter was just that; She had murdered people. Good innocent people. She still needed time to come to terms with that. Maybe then she could start thinking about moving past her old status quos.

So she could only bring herself now to watch as Ren slowly turned away, head bowed, eyes no longer willing to meet hers, and walked down the hall. Several times she almost called out to him and told him to wait. She never did and before she knew it he had disappeared from sight. Which left her in the long corridor all by herself.

"Joan, I think you and I should talk." At least, she thought she was by herself. With a startled gasp she whirled around and came face to face with a very clearly irked Yang Xiao Long. And judging by the disapproving scowl that marred her face… she had overheard that whole conversation just now.

Overheard their conversation… and did not like the way it ended.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 34**

 _First Mission (Part IV)_

* * *

Autumn made a small grunt of annoyance and thought about calling Ciel out on her claim.

"All clear" her ass. She could tell there were ten people left conscious on her end. Ah well… if Ciel was saying it she was probably confident it was as good as done. No sooner did she think that and four more of the Aura flickers went dim, signaling they had fallen unconscious. Okay, so yeah, she was without a doubt good. Although there was another wave heading her way.

"Joan. Rouge." Autumn clicked the ear-piece as she studied the map. "There's another group of at least thirty armed soldiers four corridors ahead, converging on Ciel's location."

"Got it. We'll intercept them." Joan's Aura was confident, full of self-assurance. Rouge's, meanwhile, trembled with nerves and some sense of confliction. No doubt uncomfortable having to fight against other living people. On the other side of the complex, the flickers of Aura next to Violet and Olivia's were erratic, meaning they had almost definitely been caught in the latter's illusions.

Torchwick's soul should have been a mess. He was facing off against their eldest sister, Violet, all by himself. His goons wouldn't be much help to him in the state they were in. Yet his soul was perfectly composed, so much so it almost felt… smug. He had some kind of ace up his sleeve. Should she warn Violet? Autumn raised a hand to press on the mic when something flickered in front of her.

Only a moment later and she knew what it was Torchwick had to be smug about as a heeled boot caught her in the chin and sent her crashing into the ground.

The teleporter! That multi-haired chick had been hiding outside of the facility this whole time, probably just waiting for Torchwick's signal. This whole thing… was a trap. One looked to capture her, specifically.

Autumn gave a small groan and rubbed her chin, smearing the blood across her armored thumb. She looked at it in surprise before glaring up at the teleporter fiercely. The multi-haired girl tilted her head innocently and smiled, eyes changing color when she blinked. She twirled an open umbrella behind her, appearing completely relaxed.

"You bitch…" Autumn's left gauntlet surged with power and she shot a bolt of orange lightning right at the midget girl. In one fluid motion, the umbrella flipped from behind to in front of her and Autumn's lighting deflected off the material, bouncing upwards.

Before Autumn could shoot another streak, the teleporter stepped on her calf, drilling a stilted heel into it. The teenage girl gave a strangled cry of pain and lost control of her lightning. She collapsed back to the ground and tried not to clench her eyes but it was hard not to through the pain.

The sadistic midget's grin only grew bigger in size at the pained but defiant look in Autumn's green eyes. She snapped her umbrella shut and flipped it over, beginning to pull a concealed blade from the handle.

She was taking so much pride in her sadistic torture, she was completely oblivious to the girl phasing up from the ground behind her. She didn't even know there was anyone there at all until the tip of Mortem Caligo pierced her right through the heart, protruding out the front of her chest.

Blood sprayed from the puncture wound and dripped over Autumn even as she scooted backwards in an effort to avoid it. The once gleaming teleporter's eyes were wide with shock and blood dribbled out of her open mouth. She slowly tried to twist her head. The final act of a dying woman. She never got a look at Amethyst's face as eyes went dark.

All life left and body went limp; dark purple energy began siphoning out and was absorbed into the scythe. Autumn watched in mixed fascination and horror as Mortem Caligo consumed the Aura, the soul, of its latest victim.

With a sickening slick, Amethyst pulled the scythe out from the body and the girl collapsed to the ground, head hitting the rock with an audible crack. Her eyes were still wide open in confusion and horror, but she wasn't seeing anymore.

"...Took you long enough." Autumn averted her gaze from the corpse, unable to look at it any longer, and began massaging the wounded leg.

"Sorry. I wanted to be sure her guard was completely dropped. She's been annoying in the past and I didn't want to risk her slipping away again." Amethyst twirled her scythe around nimbly before placing the bladed end against the ground.

It was almost kind of sad. This midget had been powerful… incredibly so if it was Amethyst that was the one saying it. Yet in that split moment when her guard was down, it was all over. No seconds chances. No redos.

Amethyst raised a hand to her ear and pressed the mic. "Vi. The teleporter is dead. It's exactly as you predicted, she went right for Autumn." It wasn't like Autumn had disagreed to being bait or anything, but no one had mentioned that it was going to be this painful. They also hadn't said Amethyst would kill her without warning, a scene Autumn was not entirely prepared to witness.

The headset in her ear crackled to life again. "Good job. How soon can you all get here? Torchwick is in our custody. I want to regroup and be out as soon as possible."

"Rouge and I are on our way." Joan responded quickly, the sounds of gunfire echoing in the background.

"Heading over now." Ciel said with a yawn, the thundering footsteps of whatever she created echoing below her as it walked. No doubt she was riding on it again.

"It'll take Amy and I a little longer than the others." Autumn's Aura finally finished healing her leg and she gingerly put some weight on it as she stood back up. No problems so far, but she should probably avoid any sudden dodges just to be safe.

"Should we go?" She looked up at Amethyst to see a strange, knowing smirk on her face.

"I got a feeling we'll beat the rest of them there."


	40. Joan vs Yang

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Joan vs Yang_

* * *

"Yang, what are you doing here?" Rather, if she had been here this whole time, why hadn't she said something before now?

Joan could have really used her to step in before things had gotten that awkward with Ren. Instead, Yang had remained hidden from both their sight. If she had been listening just for a bit of gossip… Joan's fists unconsciously clenched in anger just thinking that. She may not have been close to her, but she expected more than that from the big sister Ruby looked up to so much.

"Just passing by." Yang's tone was short and clipped. "Saw you two and realized that atmosphere was getting good. So I stepped to the side to not interrupt. Only… instead I watched whatever that shit just now was. I'm supposed to be meeting up with Jaune for our combat practice, but I think I can take a few minutes so you can explain to me what I just saw."

Ignoring the fact that Yang was heading to meet her brother, she focused instead on whatever kind of accusation was being thrown her way. "I don't know what it is you think I just did that was wrong, but you had no business spying on us." No matter how she looked at this, Yang was the one in the wrong here.

"You really have no idea what it is I'm mad about?" Yang asked incredulously, physically recoiling in the process. She didn't even try to deny that she had been essentially spying on them. "Ren… he was about to put himself out there. He was going to put all his feelings on the line. After weeks of being torn up about losing you, he finally worked up the courage to tell you how he feels. And what the Hell do you do?"

"I'm not you, Yang!" Joan cut her off with a loud yell. Thankfully no one was around to hear her, unless someone else was spying on them too. "I can't just go off and forget everything that happened. The way I am now, I wouldn't be able to properly return Ren's feelings. And I'm not about to risk our friendship because of that."

"You think I'm mad because you turned him down?" Joan's face twisted in a confused scowl before she gave a quick nod. "You really don't get it at all." Yang muttered in exasperation, stalking forward until she was just close enough to jab Joan roughly in the chest. "What pisses me off is that you didn't even give him a chance to say anything."

"W-what?"

"Rejecting him is fine, whatever. If you're not feeling it you're not feeling it. There's nothing that can be done about that." It wasn't because she didn't feel anything. What was it about that Yang didn't get? She just… couldn't right now. That was all it was. "What you did, though. You ran away from his feelings. You didn't even give him a proper rejection, stopping him from even being able to express himself. And _that_ , Joan, is really screwed up."

"That doesn't even make sense." Joan swatted Yang's extended finger away from her chest. "What does it matter if I heard what he had to say or not? I was asking for him to give me time, it wasn't a permanent answer."

"You seriously don't get it at all. How would you feel, huh?" Yang's eyes flickered red for a brief second, causing Joan to flinch. "The guy you like is suddenly ripped from your life, before you got the chance to tell him how you feel. Then, he somehow miraculously comes back and you finally have that chance again? Do you sit around and twiddle your thumbs, or do you suck it up and confess before it's too late this time?"

"..." Joan didn't answer. She didn't have to answer, which was all Yang needed.

"So you go to confess. And what does that guy do? He stops you before you can finally set it free. He just spits right on all the agony and suffering you went through, thinking you lost him and would never get this chance. Do you have any idea how much that must suck? And that… is exactly what you just did to Ren."

"Enough!" Joan screamed without thinking. Her hands came up, shoving Yang roughly backwards and nearly knocking the taller blonde over. Instead of getting angry and shoving her back, Yang merely gave a victorious smirk. Because she knew she had won this argument.

That didn't mean Joan was just going to stand here and just take it. "Why don't you think for a second about how I'm feeling in all this?" Yang's smirk faltered. "There's almost a whole month of my life just wiped out. Gone. What little glimpses of it I can gleam, it's of me murdering people. Not bad people or villainous ones. Just normal, good, everyday people."

"They didn't do anything to deserve to die. Most times it was something as stupid as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Did I care about any of that? No, I just murdered them because they were in my way. That's all it was. I can still feel Jaune's throat on my fingers from when I tried to choke the life out of him."

"That was Crocea Mors, that wasn't you-"

"It was my body! They're _my_ memories!" No matter how much she tried to tell herself it wasn't her, she couldn't deny that the acts were stored away inside _her_ mind. The sword and shield responsible were gone, but it felt like it had left all its burdens behind with her. "I'm a murderer. I don't deserve to hear Ren's words. He should've just reciprocated Nora's feelings before it was too late. They'd both be happier that way."

Joan's hands lowered to her side, balling themselves into fists. She couldn't stand to look at Yang anymore, those lilac eyes softening into something akin to pity. So she stared at the floor between their feet instead. "So… that's it then? You're just going to give up and feel sorry for yourself? That's a pretty lame way to repay everyone that risked their lives to save you." Yang didn't sound angry anymore either… just disappointed.

"Not everyone can just bounce back like you can."

"That's the second time you've said that. What makes you think I'm magically immune hurt? My semblance only shrugs off physical strikes."

Joan snorted in bemusement. "You didn't recognize me when we came to Beacon, but I remembered you from when we were both attending Signal. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I wasn't really anybody there. I wasn't constantly surrounded by flocks of friends that same way you always were. The beautiful Yang Xiao Long practically had a new boyfriend every other week during our last year. Didn't matter to you that every time you broke up for the next guy, you ruined your old friendship. You just cast it aside and moved on like nothing ever happened."

"For someone that's talking like she knows me, you're making an awful lot of baseless accusations."

"Then help me understand. You think I'm happy like this? I didn't want to hurt Ren like that any more than you wanted to see me do it." She looked back up at Yang, an almost desperate gleam in her eyes.

"..." Yang gave a frustrated sigh before her face formed an uncharacteristically uncomfortable expression. "It was kind of a weird phase for me. Maybe you've heard, but my dad had two wives before he lost them both. My mother ran away and Ruby's... died." This was something Joan had kind of gathered from talking with Ruby, but it was the first Yang had ever talked about it herself.

"Anyways, so I kind of got it in my head that romance didn't have to last. Love was awesome because it was fleeting. A spark of passion or some shit like that. I don't really know what I was thinking. I was sixteen; we all have dumb thoughts and ideas we'd rather forget about." That was at least something Joan could agree with.

"So I started dating. I could have just about any guy I wanted. Most of them were only after me because I was hot to begin with, so it worked out. We'd sneak out of class to make out in the halls, I'd invite them over to piss dad off, even with different guys it was almost always the same. Most of them weren't even mad when we broke up. Then I screwed up and this one guy was... different. I'll spare you all the boring details about why and how. All you need to know is... I fell for him, hard."

"As you can probably guess where this is going, he found out about my… less than moral dating history, to put it lightly. We got into a fight and I told him 'I loved him'... but he ended it anyways. He just couldn't overlook how I used to view relationships. After that, I quit dating. I was depressed for awhile. It was finally my dad who talked me out of it."

"He told me 'Sometimes to find true love, you gotta get burned first.' Sounds stupid now, I think he made it up himself. Hearing it from him, though, knowing my mother left him and how he found happiness with Summer after. I don't know, something about that really resonated with me. I haven't dated anyone since, but I'm not closed off to the idea either. If I think the right guy comes around, I'm not going to hold back."

"The point of telling you all this is, I'm not immune to things like that any more than you are. Even I don't always rebound right away. What I went through is nothing compared to what you did and mine was my own fault, but I have ghosts of my own too." She reached a hand up and rubbed the scar hidden beneath her scarf. "You know I'm having nightmares about your sister, Violet?"

"What?"

"Yeah, I just see her looking down at me. I watch it happen again and again, her slicing Ruby's throat open. Meanwhile, I'm helpless to do anything but watch. I wake up in the middle of the night and just have to look across the room to make sure my baby sister's really okay; that's how real these nightmares feel. But that is not a burden I'm trying to carry all by myself, unlike you. I've let my team know and I've told Jaune too."

"Wait, you told my brother about that?"

"Well, yeah. Of course I did." Yang said this like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Joan didn't get it at all, though. Why would she tell him something personal like that? Was she hoping he could talk to her about it in the same way he had her new scar? Or was it something more than that?

Wasn't she on her way right now to meet with him too? Just when had Jaune and Yang become so close? Their talk at Kessel the other night came to mind and Joan could just hear the way her twin talked about the other blonde.

She remembered how his voice became softer, his words carefully chosen. It was the exact same way he used to talk about Reese when he had been dating her. When Jaune glanced at Yang on the train ride back… it was the way he used to look at Lily when they were younger. He was setting himself up for heartbreak all over again, just like what happened when Reese left him.

"What… is it you get from hanging out with Jaune?" She seriously didn't understand why she would go out of her way to help him in the first place. It's not like Joan and Yang had ever been close before, so it couldn't be because of that. Joan expected some kind of earnest answer, so it was a little off-putting when Yang threw her head back and laughed as if her question was just some kind of joke.

"You twins really are ridiculous. He asked me the exact same thing. Why does everyone seem to think I have to want something from being his friend? I just thought he and I were kind of similar is all." Then Jaune had realized at first how weird it was too. He hadn't actually been won over by such an easy answer, had he? Although it really wouldn't surprise her.

"Then are you just stringing him along? Being nice to him just because you can isn't a kindness." She wouldn't be swayed as easily as he had been. It was her job to look out for him. Make sure nothing like what happened with Reese ever took place again. "You're giving him the wrong impression."

"Oh, and what impression would that be?" Yang tilted her head innocently, twirling a lock of hair while giving a coy smile.

"Don't play dumb with me. Jaune can be naive, especially when it comes to women. I watched it happen with Violet's partner. Then again with Reese. All they did was be a little kind to him and he fell head over heels. The only thing that led to was heartbreak. If you think I'm going to let you do the same thing to him..."

It was like a light-bulb lit up over Yang's head and Joan could practically feel her gut sink as lilac eyes widened the smallest amount. "Are you saying then… Jaune's interested in me?"

Oh crap.

Did she just… inadvertently confess for Jaune? That had not been in the game plan. She just got so caught up in trying to protect him, she didn't even stop to think about if Jaune had even made his feelings known already.

"T-those aren't the words I used!" She quickly tried to do damage control, but if the face Yang was making was any indication, her words had little to no success.

So it was even more annoying when next she spoke it was with feigned disappointment. "Really? That's too bad. Because I was starting to think maybe I was interested in him too."

For just a second, Joan thought maybe she had been joking. However, even if her grin was taunting, there was a hint of sincerity in her eyes. Joan once again felt her frustration from their earlier argument bubble forth. "Don't get any weird ideas about my brother."

"Oh, we're well past that point already, Vomit Girl." It had been some time since she last heard that nickname. If it had been used in a different setting, she might have even appreciated the normalcy of being called that again.

"I'm being serious, Yang. Don't."

"What are you so afraid of? You think if Jaune goes and actually does something for himself for once he won't be able to love you or any of your other sisters anymore?"

"That has nothing to do with it! I've always encouraged Jaune to go out and live his own life."

Yang let out a derisive snort. "Now that I find hard to believe. Your family literally took everything away from him. Branded him with something that gave him a Semblance that pretty much forced him to believe his whole life had to revolve around you girls."

"We were seven when father did that! I had no control over that situation. Do you think it was easy for me growing up? Knowing that he got marked because I had been compatible with one of the swords and he hadn't? Every night for years I used to wonder what would have happened if I took his place. Before I started Beacon, I even told him I would quit. I was ready to give it all up and run away with him if he wanted."

"Then why didn't you?" That was the same damn question she asked herself often. When she told Jaune she would quit, asked him to run away with her, he had still been heartbroken. She knew he wouldn't come to Beacon with her, especially after he refused to go to Haven with Reese. If she had pushed just a little bit harder… maybe he would've accepted her offer to quit then? Instead of resigning himself to that fate he never wanted?

"Jaune… made his choice. So I decided to make mine. It was always my dream to become a Huntress like my older sisters. Growing up, my identity had always been his twin. We were inseparable. When I came to Beacon, though, I made up my mind to be my own person. I wasn't going to let what happened to him influence my dreams because that would have only hurt him more."

Her words did little to impress Yang, nor did it look like they swayed her opinion. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. In the end you ran away from him the same way you just ran away from Ren." Joan barely had a chance to even form a defense before Yang cut her off. "Don't even try to claim you didn't. If you hadn't run away from him, maybe we would have actually known something more about your brother before shit hit the fan. Or that you even had one."

"I didn't pretend to forget Jaune existed if that's what you're trying to imply. He just never came up-"

"Bullshit." That word stopped Joan's voice in her tracks. "I might have actually believed that, if you hadn't demonstrated so wonderfully these past few days how much bullshit that is. We haven't seen so much as even a glimpse of you or your team since getting back. Don't you think that's a little weird? Not even during meal times. It's almost like you were avoiding us… or avoiding that guy you tried to forget existed while you were here."

"I-I was not avoiding Jaune." She hadn't been, right? There was no way that was true. Wasn't it kind of strange then, that she had no idea that Reese was here until now? It seemed like they should have run into her before today. If she had been subconsciously distancing Jaune, though… then didn't all that start to make sense? "I wouldn't…" Her voice trailed off, blue eyes widening as the truth behind Yang's words finally began to settle in.

"You know, one of the only things I keep hearing about him is that he's a lot like you. Judging by the way the two of you act now… let's just say it's another thing I find hard to believe. Every time I look at you, you're running away from something: Cardin when he bullied you. Ren and his feelings. Your brother for reasons I can't even begin to comprehend. However, the whole time I've spent with Jaune, he's been running forward." Just like how Jaune's voice had changed when he started talking about Yang, her voice did the same when she talked about him.

"He's not perfect. Broken and twisted a person that he was, though, he never lost sight of his goal and continues to dedicate every fibre of his being to saving you girls. Both from your swords and from yourselves. He's a guy that cares about family and not just because he was forced to believe that. I've seen that he cares about his friends too. He just had to get some first. So yeah… I would say I'm interested in him."

Several moments of silence passed between them while Joan simple took in everything Yang had just said. This whole time and she had been dominating this conversation and Joan was getting sick of it. Just once, she would like to to knock Yang down a peg.

"...If you really think he and I are so different then you should just go and confess." She almost wasn't sure what she was saying. No longer were her words angry, but more of a resigned indifference. Even Yang looked taken aback by her sudden shift in tone. As the words started to come out, though, they flowed more naturally. "However, Yang, I guarantee you that if you put him in that situation, he will do the same thing to you that I did to Ren. He may not have been possessed by a sword and forced to kill people like me, but he still has a pretty heavy weight left to him from the last time he tried to date someone."

The confidence on Yang's face waned, not for any more than a second, but Joan saw it happen. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Joan's words had an effect on her. After another several moments, her expression then settled into a determined scowl and she began to stalk forward. "If I tell him about how I feel, it won't be to prove a point to you." She bumped Joan roughly in the shoulder as she passed by. "It'll be because he's the right guy, and I made myself a promise not to hold back."

Just before her footsteps softened to the point of inaudibility, Joan called out to her. "Yang!" She turned her head to see the other blonde looking back. As Joan stared at her, blue eyes hardened in resolve and no small measure of hostility. "I just want you to know… if you hurt my brother," No matter what Yang accused her of, she loved Jaune and wanted nothing more than for him to be happy.

"I will _never_ forgive you."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Joan avoiding Jaune now and not even talking about him during her first year is actually me trying to make a subtle reference to Canon. Basically, in all the screen time Jaune gets, he only ever mentions his sisters once and that is to Pyrrha, in what was really a rather off-handed manner to boot. So I took that idea and kind of expanded upon it, adding more of a reasoning behind that, only to Joan who took Jaune's place at Beacon in this story. Not that this is necessarily the case in Canon, as we only get what is really snippets of all their time together at Beacon. Who knows? Maybe in their down time, Jaune actually talked extensively about his sisters? Since we never saw it, though, I expanded that into a plot point for this story.

* * *

 **Omake 35**

 _First Mission (Part V)_

* * *

"You girls are gonna be sorry for picking on me so much." Roman leaned back in his chair, completely relaxed and almost uncaring that he had just been captured.

The smug look on his face was really starting to get under Violet's skin and she just wanted to punch it right off. Olivia didn't appear to be paying much attention and just watched on in boredom as the White Fang grunts under her illusion beat the snot out of one another, probably thinking it was them they were fighting and not each other. Violet should take a page out of her book and just ignore this creep.

"Look, Violent Violet." Although it was really hard to do so when he used that horrid nickname. She hated it when called that. "I get it. I'm a good looking guy. Well dressed, charming smile, the complete package. But you pining after me like this is just pathetic."

"In your dreams, Torchwick." The only reason she humored his banter with words of her own was in an increasingly difficult bid to show him she didn't always resort to immediate violence. "I've already got a man in my life way better than you back home."

"Your brother don't count, sweetheart." Roman shot back, voice oozing with ironic sarcasm.

"No, she actually did mean our brother!" Olivia called unhelpfully from behind.

Roman looked astounded before giving a genuine chuckle. "Oh, that's just too cute. Almost as cute as the idea that you actually seem to think you can capture me. Didn't we learn our lesson after Mount Glenn? My associate is just gonna break me out again." Roman lit a cigar and took a large puff.

"I hope you aren't referring to your teleporting friend here." Amethyst's voice appeared to her right and Violet turned just as she and Autumn warp into existence. The multi-haired short girl was floating behind them, now only a sickly purple version of her former self. "Her Semblance is quite handy. I see why you relied on her so much. You don't mind if I do the same from now on, right?"

The fresh-lit cigar fell out of Roman's gaping mouth and his one visible eye went wide in shock. "Neo… what the fuck did you do!?" In only a moment his disbelief turned into pure outrage.

Violet almost felt sympathy for him, almost. It actually looked like Roman cared for the girl that was floating behind them. She hadn't believed him capable of caring about anyone other than himself before now. Too bad the rest of him was still rotten to the core.

"Let's go, Torchwick. Maybe this time you'll finally tell us what you know about that woman." She stepped up to him, a hand on the hilt of her katana in case he tried to resist.

"You really still think I'll come with you!?" He spoke in a low, seething rage. "You don't get it. If I'm captured; I'm dead. She'll never let me talk."

"You won't get killed so easily." Violet could even admit that about Roman. He wasn't particularly strong, but he was clever and damn was he resilient. She had never come across an opponent that could get away from her as frequently as he could. "That's the convenient thing about you. You're like a cockroach. If she sends someone to kill you, we'll capture them too."

He gave a dark, hideous bark of laughter. "You really have no idea what it is you're up against. Without Neo… that's it. So seeing as I'm about to die either way… I might as well take you with me!" He reached a hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small cylindrical container.

Violet's eyes widened in horror. He had been so impassive and sure of himself, placing all his bets on Neo succeeding, that she didn't think he needed to be patted down. What an idiotic mistake. She should have known better than that.

Roman chucked the grenade at the ground, right between both their feet. Violet took a defensive stance in front of all three of her present sisters, drawing the katana only a small fraction. With a small click the grenade went off as fire and shrapnel erupted from it.

Ostrum Tempus' powerful time-slowing ability whirled to life and the explosion appeared to crawl to a stop. Violet's own Semblance was able to alter the trajectory of anything, but ordinarily an explosion was too fast for her to properly compensate in time. When combined with her sword's ability, however, even bending the blast of a point-blank grenade wasn't impossible.

The fire slowly expanded and engulfed Roman Torchwick who was just on the other end. The flames heading her way bent and split, not even coming close. Once her Semblance had split the fire and shrapnel enough for it to not harm any of her sisters, she released the katana's ability.

Standing so close to the explosion should have given her shell-shock, but her Semblance had even twisted the soundwaves and spared her ears the unnecessary trauma and loss of balance that would have caused.

Roman wasn't nearly as lucky and as Violet ran up to his smoking body she knew without a doubt he wouldn't make it. Even with the front of his chest blown open and legs gone, their hunks scattered across the wall behind him, he still had an audacious smile.

"Haha… what you gonna do now… oh Violent Violet?" He knew as well as she did that they needed him alive. He had crucial intelligence on the enemy that they absolutely had to have if they were going to ever find that woman who was manipulating the White Fang in the shadows. She scowled at him, angry at herself but also disgusted at his complete disregard for even his own life. Had he really killed himself just to get back at her? To get the last laugh? Was this what all their battles against one another culminated into? This wasn't a satisfying conclusion at all.

"You… made one big blunder, Torchwick." His huge grin faltered and she could see the confusion in his eyes. She didn't have any intention to keep him in suspense any longer. "You should have made sure that explosion killed you."

Before the words even finished leaving her mouth and Amethyst's scythe swung down, splitting Roman's face wide open. Since the scythe dealt the killing blow, his soul began the process of being siphoned by Mortem Caligo. Even in death- no, rather because he was dead - bent entirely to Amethyst's control; he would give them the information they needed.

She turned away from the gruesome carnage before her, noting even Amethyst's pale complexion as her scythe did its work. She was at least grateful to see that Olivia had dragged Autumn away and was keeping her eyes from seeing something so traumatizing. This was the unfortunate reality as Huntresses. One day, they had to kill people. Even Ciel had yet to really learn that lesson despite having graduated Beacon. To her and Amethyst, they knew it all too well. She hoped it would be a long time before any of the others had to.

The ground shook and the four of them turned to see what looked like a giant teddy bear made of ice sprinting towards them, Ciel riding on its shoulder, while Rouge and Joan were being carried by its arms. As it got close and began to slow, the two younger sisters jumped off, worry evident in their eyes.

"We heard an explosion!"

"Is everyone okay!?" Rouge ran up to Autumn and wrapped her in a hug.

"We're all fine." She nodded to Amethyst and Olivia and the three of them walked away from Roman's body as quickly as they could. No need for anyone else to see that scene.

"How did she do?" Violet nodded to Rouge and Joan gave her a thumbs up, relief still evident on her face.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she could take on fully trained Hunters. Her control is impeccable." Joan had no small amount of pride in her voice as she said this. Violet only nodded.

"What are we going to do about all the incapacitated White Fang conscripts?" Olivia glanced at the last two caught in her illusions. The others had all knocked themselves unconscious and it wouldn't be much longer before these two fell as well. "Are we just going to let the SDC take back over?"

Violet grimaced as she considered Olivia's questions. Things only got this bad because of the horrible and racist treatment from the very people the White Fang freed them from. It wouldn't do any good to just return power back to those hands. "For now, we'll barricade them in here." They had plenty of food and power to last them awhile, after all. "Then I'll come up with a solution with the townspeople. Something that will work for everyone." Maybe she should call Lily? Getting some perspective from another faunus certainly wouldn't hurt.

The answer appeared to satisfy Olivia and Violet once more turned her attention to their youngest sibling. As Rouge and Autumn separated she stepped up and ruffled her hair. "I hear you did well. Why don't we get out of here and I'll treat you all to some food? Maybe the people of Kessel will even thank you for saving them from the White Fang?" Rouge nodded vigorously, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. Whether or not they were tears of relief to just get out of here, or tears for their enemies, Violet couldn't tell.

She gently pushed her shoulder and together the seven of them began heading back to the surface. As they walked side by side, Violet couldn't help but stop and stare at their backs. It was finally happening. Her sisters were becoming a team, one that might one day be capable of wiping out all Grimm. This was the first step on that road. She knew it just looking at them.

They might really be able to do anything, so long as they all stuck together.


	41. A Chance to Move on

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _A Chance to Move on_

* * *

"I just want you to know… if you hurt my brother, I will _never_ forgive you."

What a stupid, pointless threat. What did Yang care if Joan never forgave her? It's not like they had ever been close. Sure, they were friends even now, but more because Joan was the first one Ruby made when they came to Beacon.

Yet for some reason, Yang kept coming back to those final words Joan had hung icily in the air as she walked away. There was no denying it… something about them made Yang feel uneasy. Not that she could for the life of her understand why.

"Water?" She had been so lost in thought, eyes transfixed on the floor while she sat on the bench, that she was taken aback when a bottle of clear liquid was thrust into her vision. Holding that bottle was Jaune's scarred hand. No longer did he wear the white wraps when the two of them practiced their hand to hand combat together.

It was like a complete role reversal, Yang thought this dryly as she pulled at the scarf concealing her own scar. She was hot and covered in sweat, forced to abandon her jacket during the middle of their workout. Naturally, the eyes of a majority of the male populace were drawn to her, fighting with nothing but her crop-top to conceal her cleavage. That made her instinctively adjust the orange scarf every so often instead of taking it off, despite how gross and uncomfortable it got.

"Thanks." She gratefully took the water and immediately opened it up. While she turned it up to take a swig, the rest of Jaune came into view. Like her, his hair was damp and matted with sweat and his chest was still heaving from all the earlier physical exertion. He also wore a perplexed expression, like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Or more likely, wanted to ask her something but was still figuring out how.

Finally, he seemed to decide on something as he plopped down on the bench, side of his hip brushing against hers. "Is there something on your mind?" It was a simple question, but surprisingly direct for him. Or maybe that wasn't so surprising anymore, Yang actually didn't know.

"Does it look like there might be something I'm thinking about?" She asked, giving him a coy grin and a suggestive wink. To her surprise and slight disappointment, he didn't blush or stutter like she expected. Had Joan actually been wrong about him developing feelings stronger than friendship towards her?

She doubted it. Joan was apt to notice something like that about her own twin, regardless of how little time they spent together. If Yang applied that knowledge to his demeanor change towards her after their so-called "date" then it also filled in several blanks. What she had at first thought was him slipping back into his awkward ways, was actually just him being conscious of her as a woman.

"I don't know how to put it," Instead his tone was serious, but slightly distant as he tried to find the words to proceed. "I guess you just seemed a little more aggressive than normal during our matches today. You usually don't get this worn out. Yet at the same time, you seemed kind of distracted. I mean, I was landing more hits than I normally can before you're finally able to take me down. The combination just struck me as… odd, is all." He finished with a slight shrug.

Yang gave a small grunt of acknowledgment before taking another long swig of her water. "If you noticed all that, I suppose there's no denying it." On the one hand, it kind of irked her that she was so easy to figure out. Having an unreadable poker face was something she took a fair amount of pride in. At the same time, it really did show how much attention he was paying to her if he was able to pick out even such subtle nuances in her behavior.

"The nightmares aren't getting worse, are they?" Jaune's brow furrowed, no doubt in worry about Yang's newfound fear of Violet. It must have been uncomfortable for him, thinking the girl he liked was scared silly by his eldest sister. Then again, Yang would expect nothing less from whatever guy or girl eventually fell in love with Ruby. They had better be scared of her as a big sister, that was for sure.

"No, it's nothing like that." Yang quickly waved away his concern, the remaining water in the bottle swishing around in the container she was holding. "I just… well, I ran into Joan on the way here." Jaune's confusion was evident and his concern only grew more palpable. Yang didn't know how much of the conversation she wanted to give away. There was one thing Joan had mentioned that she was curious about. Although she was going to have to work up to it. "Ren was going to confess to her."

"Really?" It was like she switched a flick in Jaune's brain, the evident concern quickly replaced by barely restrained joy. "That's great. He told me he liked her after my spar with Pyrrha but I'm glad he's already worked up the courage so soon after getting her back."

"Wow." That was not the reaction she had expected from Jaune at all. "You're okay with her dating?" If anything, she had been more prepared for him to have the same initial response to the idea Joan did when Yang announced her plans to ask Jaune out. It did serve to prove her earlier words true, however. These twins weren't as alike as everyone thought they were.

Jaune nodded happily. "Of course I am. Outside of Ciel and Amethyst… let's just say none of my sisters ever exactly dated much. And Ren seems like a great guy. I mean, I don't know him really well but he must be extremely patient, being partnered with Nora and the lone guy on a team with three girls."

"Heh, I suppose he's not bad to look at either." Yang had to admit, she'd found herself checking him out one or two times in the past. A little feminine for her tastes, but certainly attractive all the same. Her chipper mood died and was replaced by the bitter memory of how that not-confession ended. "I got bad news for you; Joan and Ren don't look like they'll start dating anytime soon."

"What? Why?" Jaune's face fell instantly and Yang felt guilty for having given him the impression it was already a done deal.

She also didn't know how to describe the situation she had witnessed. It wasn't exactly a rejection, but that was because Ren never even got the chance to voice how he felt. "I only heard the end of it, but basically Ren didn't confess because Joan asked him to wait."

"Did… Joan give a reason?" If the look Jaune had was any indication, he already knew the answer to that question, but he probably felt the need to ask anyways.

"That's something you should probably ask her yourself." No matter how angry Yang was at Joan, she had no right to speak for her. She even felt like she had said more than she should have already. Just another thing for Joan to yell at Yang about later, she supposed. "The subject did get me thinking, though…"

"Yeah?" Jaune asked, but she could tell he was distracted, no doubt thoughts running crazy with concerns for his twin. She had a feeling she would have his attention again pretty quick.

"What would you do if someone asked you out, right now?" Joan said he would do the same as she had. Jaune had already proven her wrong once already, though. Maybe he would do it again?

Like she predicted, that question immediately earned her his full attention and his mouth gaped like a fish out of water. "R-right now? As in you think there's someone here at Beacon interested in confessing to me?" He pointed at himself for emphasis, clearly having trouble wrapping his mind around the idea.

Yang gave him a knowing smirk, her fingers brushing against the back of his hand. She could feel the bumps and contusions formed by the rigged scars, and was surprised to find she didn't mind the way they felt one bit. Jaune's blue eyes darted to the point of contact for a brief moment before darting back to look right into hers. When she next spoke, her voice was low and full of sweet promise. "You could say I happen to know for a fact there is someone that's considering it. She's just waiting for the right time."

"Ah…" Jaune's mouth failed to form any words and she could see his eyes practically shining with optimistic expectations. No doubt, somewhere in his mind he was hoping she was talking about herself. As if a dark realization came crashing down all at once, however, that expression dimmed and was replaced with a look of tragic resignation.

He didn't even have to say anything for Yang to know what his answer was about to be. Joan hadn't been wrong after all. That didn't mean she was just going to give up. The frankness in which she had that thought surprised her, but she realized it was true. Jaune wasn't someone she wanted to give up on.

What was it about him that made her want to try so hard to make this work? Just because they were both siblings that would stop at nothing to protect their own? Maybe it was because when he wasn't being crushed by his responsibility, he was someone she could have a good back and forth with? He actually had a talent for keeping up with her teasing and even had some witty comebacks of his own. Or perhaps it had something to do with what Blake said? No matter how much she knew about him, he always seemed able to surprise her.

It could've been all those things and more. It didn't matter, the point was she did want to make it work. "Is it because you want to wait until all your sisters are safe?"

"No… it's not that." Jaune shook his head, eyes drifting to the floor and he turned away from her. "That would be an easy excuse to use; I need to focus on saving them, so I can't allow myself any personal distractions. However, the fact that all of you here are now my friends means I already have personal distractions. If I wait until after all my sisters are free, I might have to leave Beacon, in which case it might be too late. None of you are as important to me as they are. I'm sorry to say that but it's true."

"Don't be sorry for that. I understand completely." No one was as important to Yang as Ruby. Not even Blake or Jaune, so of course she wouldn't take that the wrong way. "If it's not that then, what is it?"

"...I made a mistake when dating Reese. The way I ended things never sat right with me, but it was too late to try and fix it after it was done. I hurt both her and myself because of the way I handled that. It's… not something I've ever been able to forgive myself for."

When he finished, Yang grabbed one of his hands and his eyes immediately darted once more back up. When she was sure she had his attention, she spoke. "Talk to her. Now's your chance to make that right."

Jaune's mouth curled in a self-deprecating smirk. "I don't even know if Reese wants to talk about that. She's here to help me. It would be a kind of crappy way to repay her by dredging up bad memories."

"I bet she didn't come here just to save your sisters. It was always you she was close to." Yang squeezed his hand a little more tightly, careful to keep his scars in mind. "So talk to her, I think she might surprise you."

"..." Jaune didn't react outwardly right away. Then he slowly began to nod, expression becoming more confident with each bob of the head. "...Yeah, I'll talk to her. Maybe, maybe I can finally put this behind me."

"Thatta boy!" She removed her hand from his before promptly slapping him on the back so hard he stumbled off the bench and to his feet. "Now go get her before it's too late."

"T-too late for what?"

Yang grinned coyly, running a hand through her hair. "The girl interested in asking you out is only going to wait for so long." Jaune's eyes widened in realization and she swore that was almost enough to send him running to get his feelings squared away. Seeing as he didn't, she offered one more hint.

"You never know, she might expect an answer at that party tomorrow."

* * *

He could do this.

He could totally do this.

How many times had he told himself that now as he paced outside the door to the room he was sharing with Reese, Arslan, and his two younger sisters? This really shouldn't have been this difficult. All he had to do was open the door and ask Reese if they could talk privately.

Maybe this wouldn't be so hard if he hadn't resolved to do this only fifteen minutes ago. Now that he considered it, wasn't this scenario a little screwed up? He was going to talk to his ex-girlfriend in order to get enough closure to get a new girlfriend. Or was that something normal for people?

That was of course assuming the girl Yang had been talking about was herself. He really hoped so, cause it was going to get real awkward real fast if it wasn't. What if the girl Yang was talking about had been Weiss? She seemed a little cold on the outside, but Jaune kind of felt like they had become friends. That didn't mean he wanted to go out with her, even as beautiful as she was.

Oh Hell, what if it was Ruby? Would Yang hate him for turning down her little sister? He would feel so absolutely horrible too, breaking Ruby's heart because the girl he had a crush on was her older sister. Shit… this anxiety was starting to give him a stomach ache.

He thought he was done worrying about girls like this. Even more so considering he had to focus on saving his sisters. Damnit, Yang. Why did she have to be so nice to him? Why did she have to be so damn attractive? And why, just why did she have to be someone that cared about family as much as he did? He had never stood a chance; There was no way he would have made it through to the end of this without developing these feelings for her.

He really wished Dad was here right now. He would know exactly what to say to him in this situation. His advice would almost certainly be something cheesy and it without a doubt would be something that would make Mom face-palm, but it always was a source of comfort for him.

Jaune was on his own for this one, though. He couldn't exactly ask Joan, especially knowing about what happened between her and Ren. If anything, knowing about that made him even more determined to want to do this. How could he possibly talk to his twin and tell her she should give Ren a chance if he wasn't even able to move on from his own past and start dating again? It would be hypocritical.

Not to mention he owed it to Reese. He had really screwed up when they broke up and that final argument had hurt them both. What if she hadn't been able to move on and was unable to date someone new because of that too? This might be something they both needed. No matter how he spun it, this was the right thing to do. Not all of his reasons were for the best, but there were certainly more pros than cons for having this conversation.

He sucked in a deep breath. There was no reason for him to hesitate. This was something he should have done a long time ago, but was just too scared to do. So with all the resolve he could muster, he finally stopped all the pointless pacing and reached for the door…

...only to have it swing open on him before he could grab the handle. "Jaune, there you are." And of course standing on the other end was the very girl he meant to talk to.

"Reese." He peeked over her shoulder, glancing to see who else was in the room. Rouge and Autumn sat side by side, hunched over a desk with numerous papers scattered across it. He couldn't say for sure, but he imagined Rouge was helping Autumn plot out some kind of algorithm for more effectively locating their sisters in case they lost the protection of Mortem Caligo.

Even now they hadn't given up looking for them, which brought a small smile to his lips. He wished he could help them with that, but he knew they just wanted to contribute any way they could. So when they had something, then it would be time for him to do his part. Meanwhile, Arslan sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed in what looked like deep concentration. None of them seemed to notice he was here yet, which was perfect.

"Can we talk? Out here?" He gestured outside the room and Reese seemed to pick up on what he meant immediately. She cast a quick backwards glance into the room before stepping out and closing the door with a soft click behind her.

"I suppose this was only a matter of time." Reese pulled lightly at the edge of her purple hood, something she only did when she genuinely felt uncomfortable. It kind of surprised him to realize that he still remembered all her little mannerisms like that. Despite this, when green eyes came up to meet his, he could see a sense of resolve. "So how do you want this to start?"

"That's…" a really good question. He was so caught up in just having the conversation, he didn't even think about what it was he wanted to say. Good ol' Jaune Arc fashion then, which pretty much meant winging it. He did at least know one thing he had to say. "...with an apology. I'm sorry, Reese."

She gave a bemused snort. "For what?" Her voice at first seemed teasing, but he thought he detected a small underlying of frustration in it too.

"You know… for the way I handled our break up." He could still remember it clearly. The exhilarated expression she wore when she brought him the application sheet for Haven. How quickly that had faded when he became adamant in his refusal to go with her. Tears that ran down her face when the shouting began. It made his gut twist and wrench just recalling that. "You were just trying to help us stay together. I couldn't see that at the time and only thought about my sisters." He hadn't been brave enough to want to leave them.

"You're… not the only one who was thinking about your family when we fought." Reese admitted after a long sigh. "I only wanted to attend Haven because my dad was being relocated to Mistral for work. Mom was going with him and they were bringing my younger sister. I didn't want to be separated from them anymore than you wanted to be separated from your sisters."

Jaune gave a small nod, a relieved grin breaking out on his face. This wasn't going as bad as he thought it might. "You and I probably got along so well because we cared so much about family." That was something he didn't consider when they dated. He just knew back then that he liked her. It seemed that was something he always looked for, even unconsciously.

"It was also the crux on which our relationship eventually broke." That freshly formed grin faltered at Reese's next words. "We can't delude ourselves about it, Jaune. That argument wasn't the real end. The only thing it did was bring out all the problems you and I had from the very beginning."

"W-what problems? What are you talking about?" He hadn't thought there had been anything wrong, which was partially why it hurt so much and was so unexpected when that argument they had turned into the last one they ever would.

"The whole time we dated, it never felt like I was only going out with just you. It felt like I was dating all your sisters too." Reese averted her eyes and stared at the door, almost like she was looking at his two youngest through it. "Even from the very first one, we spent the whole time playing hide and seek with Violet. Rouge and Joan tagged along on more than a majority of them after that. Don't even get me started about trying to spend time with you in your house when the rest of your sisters were home. We almost never got a moment together."

"You never said anything about that when we were dating." His voice cracked and a small tinge of anger underlined his tone. He didn't know why he was getting mad. After all, he had been prepared to take all the blame from the beginning. "I would've told them to back off if I thought you didn't want to see them."

"That's a good joke." Reese gave a short but bitter laugh. "You telling your sisters you didn't want to hang out with them? Now that I would like to see."

"It wasn't the same thing as moving to Haven." He had to restrain himself from outright yelling at her, only just barely managing to keep his voice at a normal volume. "I would always see them when I came back home from just hanging out. If you wanted our dates to be just us, you should have made that clear."

"You're right. I should have." Reese looked back at him and he could see now that she wasn't just blaming him, but herself too. "That was my biggest fault while we dated. I was never able to tell you what I really wanted. I liked you too much and was afraid if I forced you to choose between them or me, you would choose them. Maybe if I hadn't been so reserved and pushed harder to have more time with just us… things might have been different."

"Don't put that on yourself." All the anger he just felt gave way to guilt. Just like him, she'd been blaming herself this whole time; only in her case it was for not speaking out. "Like you said… we both made mistakes. And I didn't want to have this conversation to talk about what-ifs." No matter what, their relationship had already ended.

"Then what did you want to have this talk for?" He wasn't sure if she misunderstood his original intent, or was just simply curious. She didn't seem mad and if anything had seemed eager to have this talk as well.

"I was just hoping… for the chance to move on. For you too, if you needed it." He had been hoping she would benefit from this as well, but he really couldn't tell if this had helped either of them.

Regardless, a knowing smile crossed Reese's face and she leaned forward, placing a hand on either hip. "Is this because of Yang?"

"..."

"..."

"H- how did you know that!?"

"Give me some credit, I did date you for the better part of a year. I know the look you make when you're in love with someone."

"I'm… I'm sorry." He hung his head in shame. He didn't know what else to do, having been caught asking his ex-girlfriend for closure so he could consider having another.

"Don't be. It's really great that you're finally able to let go of what happened between us." She waved a hand in dismissal, before glancing up to the ceiling. "I… came to terms with our breakup months ago. My team helped me a lot in getting through that. For awhile I wondered if I really made the right decision, but when I'm out there and fighting with them; our lives on the line. I know that's a bond I have with them because I was able to let go of the one I had with you."

"Am I… really over it, though? I feel a little better after hearing that you're okay with it… but I don't know, I guess I expected something… more?" He had no idea what he was trying to say. He supposed he had expected to feel some kind of absolving feeling wash over his whole body like a waterfall cleansing his soul. Instead, he just felt closer to nothing in the way of change.

"That just means things weren't as bad as you thought they were. It was all in your own mind." Reese giggled and flicked him lightly in the forehead.

He rubbed the spot she just flicked him, but more on reflex than because of any actual pain. Instead, his mind was focused on her words. "So then… I was just holding onto it this whole time by myself?" There was never really any reason for him to hold back in the first place, he had just been too caught up in the past to be able to see that.

"Afraid so." She nodded matter-of-factly.

"Huh. Well this has been... informative." Really, it made him feel like more of an idiot than anything.

"Glad I could help." Reese winked and gave a light skip backwards. "Well, I'm off to get a snack. You want anything?"

"No… that's alright." He should probably head inside and see his sisters. He still had a little bit left to think about anyways. Such as the fact he still didn't feel like he was any closer to having an answer for tomorrow.

"Suit yourself, I'll see you when I get back. You all don't have too much fun without me." He barely had a chance to wave goodbye before she turned and set off down the hall. She certainly seemed normal to him, at least. It was almost a little disheartening, knowing he had been the only one to be this torn up for so long. Which was an incredibly selfish thought he realized only after thinking it.

First he felt bad for having hurt her, then he felt alone because she hadn't been hurt as long as he had. He really needed to make up his mind. The door clicking open again startled him from his thoughts and to his surprise it was Arslan who stepped out, turning to regard him silently.

"Sorry, but I was listening to your conversation." She admitted this without actually looking the least bit sorry, placing one hand on her hip and staring at him with her chin held high.

"Oh, umm… okay?" He wasn't exactly sure if that was a bad thing or not. Or what Arslan got from coming and telling him that so bluntly.

"Reese said it herself, she's not exactly good at expressing how she feels. That holds true even now." Arslan turned to look where Reese had run, before once more looking back at him. "She's always been really concerned about you, wondering if you ever managed to move on. I think she felt a little bad because she was able to and felt like she might be leaving you behind. With this talk, however, you've removed that lingering doubt and showed her you're ready to take the next step."

"She… thought that?" Like Arslan, he glanced down the hallway where Reese had gone.

"I can't say for sure, but I got that impression watching over her." Arslan shrugged, but at the same time gave a soft smile. "What I can say is, she doesn't regret having gone out with you. She learned something valuable about herself because of it, and that allowed her to open up to us on ABRN in a way she may not have been able to if she didn't have that experience."

"Something valuable…" That was it! Finally, the piece Jaune felt he was missing the whole time clicked into place. Ever since they broke up, he had been wondering if going out with Reese had been a mistake. If they had never gone out he never would have gotten hurt and never would've caused his sisters such distress. But that wasn't right.

Reese had said it herself. The biggest mistake he made when going out with her was he had never been able to place their relationship above his sisters. He knew that now. Sometimes to have a relationship, you had to place that person before your own family. Because in the end, that person may one day become your new family. That was going to be hard. He wasn't even sure he could do it, especially with the circumstances his family was going through now. That didn't mean he shouldn't at least try.

"Arslan." His body was moving before he even thought about what he was doing.

"Ye-" Arslan stopped and tensed as Jaune's arms wrapped around her back and pulled her into a powerful hug.

"Thank you." He said this as barely even a whisper but had no doubt that she heard him due to their proximity.

"You're welcome?" That came out as more of a question than a statement. When he didn't say anything right away, she reiterated. "For what exactly?"

"Thanks to you, I think I'm closer to having an answer."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Once again I have an omake written by a guest author. This time, it is the very own beta for Spectrum, Jefardi. He's been very helpful to me throughout this whole endeavor; from the early planning phase, dealing with me when I get more and more crazy ideas that keep extending this story far beyond its original scope, to just checking over every chapter before I release it, and now he's finally gotten around to saving me some work by writing an omake.

* * *

 **Guest Omake**

 _RvR_

Written by Jefardi

* * *

"You're going down, Rouge!"

"Do your best, Ruby!"

Ruby had a good plan.

A carefully thought out, and constructed plan, of how to win against her friend.

The problem with having a friend like Rouge, was that there was no way someone could actually beat her in sparring. Or get close enough to even try. Get within ten feet of her, and a wall of fire roughly two stories tall suddenly appeared. Regardless of how cool of a high caliber sniper scythe one had.

Which was why Ruby had come up with an ingenious plan, one that was going to totally level the playing field. Simply put, Ruby had challenged her friend to an unarmed sparring match. True, Ruby didn't exactly have any skills when it came to fighting without a weapon… but neither did Rouge – the redhead only ever using her fire sword. _Plus, Yang is really good at that kind of stuff, maybe some of it wore off onto me?_

"I s'pose you two can start whenever." Ruby had even roped her uncle into officiating the match, not that he was paying all that much attention. It didn't matter; she was going to finally win against her best friend.

"Hyah!" Ruby made a beeline for the other girl, no real plan or finesse going into her charge…

…only to find herself flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. _Huh?_

Ruby's perfect view of the ceiling was interrupted by a shadow looming over her, worried yellow eyes peering at her. "Ruby are you okay?!"

"Wh-what happened?" Ruby shook her head, the dancing stars in her vision receding slowly as Rouge pulled her up to a sitting position… which only made the teen aware of the acute pain that was slowly fading as Ruby's aura kicked in. "Is the match already over?"

"Yeah. You started to run at me, and then I did a kidney punch…" the last two words came out in a hush, Rouge was clearly embarrassed by her quick win as she gave a small, apologetic nod to Ruby. "I'm sorry."

Silver eyes turned towards the judge of the match, only to be greeted with a shrug from Qrow. "Sorry kiddo, looks like Rouge can still beat ya without her fire stick."

"Aww."

Ruby's disappointment only deepened Rouge's frown. "W-we could always try again!"

This time, Ruby at least got to throw a single punch before the air left her lungs and she felt a brief sense of weightlessness before slamming into the ground. Ruby was starting to regret her plan.

"You win." Ruby finally sputtered out in defeat after her friend helped the girl sit up.

"Don't give up! I'm sure you can win!" Her frown inverted into a small grin as the proverbial light-bulb went off. "I know! I could teach you some moves, if that's okay?"

"That… that sounds fun." Can't be any worse than when Yang had tried to train her that one time, Ruby barely suppressed a shudder at that memory.

A rather large smile graced Rouge's lips. "Don't worry, my big brother taught me, and he's really good at this kind of stuff."


	42. This Will be the Day

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _This Will be the Day_

* * *

"Enjoying yourself, Glynda?" Green eyes glanced to the side. Ozpin approached her slowly, holding out a steaming mug of coffee. Despite not having quite the same taste for the drink that her boss usually did, she accepted it gratefully. It wasn't often anymore she stayed up so late, usually getting up early to prepare for classes.

"It certainly is lively." She nodded to the group of students she had been watching over while taking a sip from the mug. In contrast to her silent vigilance, they were all loudly interacting while performing various activities normally unsuited for the library. She was making an exception this time, as this was a needed reprieve for the group.

Ruby Rose had been the one who insisted that they all do this, wanting to both celebrate Joan's return and welcome the two students from Haven who had come for the express purpose of helping in the endeavor.

Now the youngest team leader was conversing with her partner and Autumn Arc. If Glynda strained her ears, she could hear the smallest snippets, talks of Dust and transformation applications, no doubt working out the finishing touches for Autumn's new weapon.

It might have been easier to hear more if music wasn't blaring a tad louder than acceptable, especially considering where they were. It was a good thing she'd sound-proofed the room so they wouldn't disturb anyone else. She glanced at the speakers where Yang Xiao Long was currently picking the next songs in the track, the songs and stereo system of course having been supplied by her. Blake Belladonna hung close by, offering some kind of input, perhaps requesting a song of her own.

The two students from Haven were talking with Pyrrha Nikos. While at first the former champion looked worried about being approached, likely because of her fame, she seemed to be enjoying talking about and catching up on the news from her homeland.

Without her partner, Joan appeared to be stuck half-listening to Cardin Winchester who was recounting once again his Ursa kills to his teammate, Dove. At least he appeared to be hanging off every word his leader said. He was about the only one not sick of hearing about it already.

The last two members of both their teams were over to the side playing darts with one another. Ren and Russell seemed to be having a fairly even match, but the same couldn't be said for either of their teammates. Lark and Nora, much to Glynda's chagrin, couldn't get within a foot of the board if their lives depended on it, littering all kinds of holes over the wall she was going to have to fix later.

Standing by the chips and pop was Rouge Arc and the surprise appearance of Coco Adel. The leader of CFVY hadn't been attending any classes lately and only seemed to leave her room in order to go sit in front of Fox's marker. It was a considerable improvement that her team had managed to coerce her into attending this, even if she appeared to be having some trouble conversing with the youngest Arc sibling. Rouge, in a rare display, was earnestly trying to engage the upperclassman, to what looked like mixed results.

Sitting opposite of the speakers, where the sound didn't quite reach so loud, were Jaune and Yatsuhashi. The two had a Shogi board placed between and seemed to be deep in the middle of a match.

Finally, Velvet skipped around the whole event, taking pictures of everyone.

"Have you ever seen such a diverse group as this one form such close friendships?" Ozpin sounded to be amused as he joined her in watching over everyone. To his question, Glynda let out a snort.

"It isn't unusual for diverse people to come together when they're placed on the same team and forced to live with one another. For so many different teams to bond this close, however, it is certainly a rarity." She paused long enough to glance over them once more. "I suppose that just goes to show how strong their connection is to those Arc siblings for this to happen."

"That goes for yourself, does it not?" That was a fact Glynda could acknowledge. She wanted to help so much herself because of her connection to Ciel, which in a way made her a part of this group. It was her hope to get another chance to help them in their efforts. "I also can't help but wonder if perhaps a bond more special will form with this little event tonight?"

"How do you mean?" Glynda quirked an eyebrow, not sure what Ozpin was insinuating.

To her frustration, his only response was to take another sip from his mug.

* * *

"Are you kidding me?" Jaune groaned into his hand as he looked at the undeniable result on the Shogi board. "I thought I had you that time." He really thought his strategy was going to pay off and he would finally sneak in a win.

"It was a close match." Yatsuhashi praised, already picking up the pieces and rearranging them back to their natural order. "You have improved tremendously since we first started playing together."

"It's more like I'm just getting back into the swing of the game." Playing against Violet so much had forced him to improve fast or the crushings she gave were just depressing. He never did beat her, but he'd learn to not get annihilated right off the bat.

"You might have won, but you seemed to be distracted too." At those words, Jaune grimaced, already knowing what the cause of that was. "Perhaps the loud music is not very conducive to shogi?" While that was certainly part of it, it was more the person playing the music than the music itself.

Yang had said whoever was planning to ask him out was going to do so at this little get-together they were having. So far no one had made any kind of move, but maybe that was because he looked busy hanging out with Yatsuhashi? He kind of doubted that would be enough to stop Yang, which maybe meant it wasn't her?

If not her, then who? He supposed it didn't really matter who it was, because he knew what his answer would be if it wasn't her. The problem with that was, if someone asked him out and he turned them down, what kind of example was he setting for Joan? He wanted her to move on too, but he had to be the one to set an example before he could preach that.

He really didn't know what to do, but it wasn't like he couldn't just ask for advice. Not that he exactly knew how much help Yatsuhashi would be, or if the question itself might annoy him. They were friends, though, so he supposed it was worth a shot.

"Have you ever… wanted to ask someone out but was afraid that if you did, you would hurt someone else in the process?" He glanced up at the bigger man, not entirely sure what kind of expression he expected to see. Perhaps predictably, it was bewilderment.

"I was not aware that you would be thinking of such things, given the state of your remaining sisters." Jaune's face must have immediately fell because Yatsuhashi hurriedly added. "I do not think it is a bad thing. If anything, it is healthy that you are still able to be concerned about romance and relationships. It just seems… odd, for you."

"Yeah, I guess." He couldn't exactly fault him for thinking that way. Before Beacon, his whole life had been about protecting his sisters and even now it still was, even when he did try to break away from that.

"But let's see… about your question. Can I assume the one you wish to ask is Yang?"

"Is it really that obvious?" How many people now had been able to guess? More than he was comfortable with, that was for sure.

"It simply seemed like the most obvious guess, yes." Yatsuhashi shrugged, but his words did little to assure Jaune. Maybe he could see this, because again he continued talking before Jaune could respond. "That question probably has different answers for different people. Since you are asking me, however, I will tell you what I think." He paused again, seeming to think how best to proceed.

"I have only felt what I think is love once before. Growing up at home, my mind was always too focused on continuing my family lineage. Even after I came to Beacon, this is all I thought about for some time. Certainly, I bonded with my team and we are all close friends, but it never occurred to me to feel anything more than that camaraderie with them. There is, however, one person that made me begin to think about more than that."

Yatsuhashi stopped and shifted uncomfortably in his chair, looking down at the shogi board as he seemed to get lost in thought. Uncertain what to do, Jaune cleared his throat, which was enough and Yatsuhashi gave a small jump. "...What happened to her?"

"She graduated." Yatsuhashi shook his head. "I only realized my feelings too late and let the chance slip by. Looking back on it now, I think it is possible she even returned those feelings."

"Oh…" That took a turn he hadn't quite been expecting, even if he had an inkling that Yatsuhashi's feelings hadn't gotten through. He just supposed it was surprising that it was an upperclassman he had fallen for.

"If I ever properly meet her again, I plan to tell her this." He continued, voice full of determination this time. "So my advice would be not to wait or let fear hold you back. Yes, someone may be hurt because of your choice, but you'll only be hurting yourself by not being honest when you have the chance."

Jaune nodded slowly, turning his head to look at Yang across the library. She was still leaned over the stereo, chatting with Blake offhandedly. Even seeing her from the other side of the room made his heart flutter. He really was a helpless guy.

"Thanks, Yatsu." Jaune smiled once more at his friend before rising from the seat. He couldn't just wait around forever and if he was the guy it should be up to him to make the first move anyways.

"Good luck." Yatsuhashi gave him a thumbs up, a gesture Jaune was barely able to return. He could already feel the nerves mounting. He turned forward and looked at Yang again.

Putting all other thoughts aside, he started to walk forward.

* * *

"You're thinking of doing what now?"

"Really, Blake?" Yang grinned at her partner, only looking at her out of the corner of one eye as she picked the last song for the playlist. "You have an extra set of ears and you still couldn't hear me?"

Blake pinched the bridge of her nose and looked to mutter something under her breath, but Yang couldn't possibly hear it over the music. "It sounded to me like you said you were going to ask Jaune out."

"Oh, you did hear me." She sent a glance across the library to still see Jaune playing Shogi with Yatsuhashi. It was getting to be about time that she figured she should make her move. The music selection was all set and Joan appeared to be held up by Cardin so she shouldn't expect her to try and stop them. Better be safe than sorry, however.

"Are you… sure that's wise?" Blake, on the other hand, looked skeptical. "I know you tend to move fast, but I'm not sure Jaune is quite in the right mindset to think about relationships."

Yang shook her head, making short tsking sounds, knowing it would drive her partner mad. "Who's the one that knows him best between us? I'm pretty confident of my chances." Maybe not a hundred percent, but provided Jaune had that talk with Reese, she would say the odds were more in her favor than against it.

"Okay, but what about you?" Blake jabbed an accusatory finger into Yang's shoulder. "You're not just jumping into this because you think he's the only one that'll accept your scar? Because I assure you, Yang, there are plenty of people who can look past that." Unconsciously, Yang fiddled with the scarf hiding the jagged line on her neck before brushing a hand against her shorter locks.

"The scar is only a small part of it." She admitted, noticing Blake's eyes go wide. Her mouth opened halfway, probably to tell her to stop. Yang was a second faster. "Hear me out, first. It's not what you're thinking." Blake's mouth snap shut, waiting for her to continue.

"So okay, I'm a little self-conscious about the scar, but I know that no guy worth dating is going to reject me for having it. I'm smarter than that, give me that much credit. It's just… with this scar, I feel like I understand a lot better what Jaune went through now. It's different, I know. His changed his life in ways I'm only really starting to see. But that's just it; I feel like I really understand Jaune now and I like what it is I see. He's fun to be with and I know how important family is to him… which is a big deal to me."

When Yang finished, she stared at Blake silently, waiting for her feedback. If she still had a reason she thought this was a bad idea, Yang wanted to hear it. Finally, her partner gave a reluctant sigh and nod. "You've… thought more about this than I gave you credit for. I was just trying to look out for you, the same way you would do for me."

"And I appreciate that, partner." Yang flicked Blake playfully in the forehead and once more glanced at Jaune. He was no longer sitting and playing Shogi but standing and when he turned he began to walk right in their direction. She was surprised, not expecting him to make the first move. Seeing him do that though, made her smile.

"I would wish you luck-" Blake also seemed to notice, patting her on the back. With that slight touch, she set forward to meet him. "-but I don't think you'll need it."

* * *

"Jaune, do you have a minute?"

Really, right now? Just after he finally worked up all his courage and was heading to meet Yang and with her looking to meet him halfway, he would get interrupted? Stifling a grimace, he turned to see who it was that even called out to him, surprised to find it was Coco of all people.

At the very least he knew it wasn't her that wanted to confess to him, going by the last time they talked. He could still recall the sting on his lip from when she had slugged him.

"Hey…" He paused, not sure how to address her.

"Coco is fine. I hear you're close to Yatsu, so you might as well call me by my first name." She waved away his concern easily, placing one hand on her hip and tilting her sunglasses down with the other. It was comforting to see her back and dressing in such a fashionable way. It was a far cry from the last time he saw her in just that hospital gown. "I just got done talking to your youngest sister."

Well, better Rouge than Autumn. He feared if she talked to Autumn she may come over just to punch him again. He hadn't explicitly told either of them about that incident, but he had a feeling they both knew it had been Coco.

"She's really concerned about the fact that I decked you the other week at the cemetery. She's also terrified that I'm really angry at Livia about Fox." Livia? Surely she meant Olivia, but he couldn't tell if that was a nickname or if she just didn't actually know her proper name. "Anyways, I just wanted to let you know I am still angry about Fox… actually, angry doesn't even begin to describe it." He gulped, mind already whirling with ways to defend his sister.

"But my anger is directed at the sword and myself, not you or Livia." Only to end up not needing any of those thoughts. "I knew it's abilities… at least I thought I did. It was because of that I decided we didn't need to ask you for advice on dealing with it. That's what led to that whole mess."

"No, I was also at fault-"

"I _will_ punch you again if you try to take the blame like that." His mouth snapped shut, the glare in Coco's eyes alone conveying how serious she was. It vanished a moment later, and she gave a depressed sigh. "I'm ashamed it's taken me this long to come around… I'm still not over Fox's death, but I kind of guess you're not over all your losses either." He tried not to flinch when a brief image of his mom and dad flashed across.

"Anyways, the next time you go after your sisters, I won't be stuck behind wallowing in depression again. I owe Livia and Fox at least that much." She stepped up to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "That's all I wanted to say."

He swallowed, suddenly aware of how dry his throat was. He didn't know exactly what to say but he had to answer her somehow. "The next time we go for the swords, we'll save Olivia for sure and the two of you can mourn for Fox together. I'm… sure she wants that too." He still didn't really know how close Olivia had been to this team, but he was starting to get a good idea.

"Heh, you said it." Coco walked past, hand coming round and slapping him on the butt as she did. He gave a small yelp at the unexpected contact and whirled on her. She didn't look back, merely waving a hand over her shoulder. "You're a tough kid, Jaune. Livia is going to be really proud of you." He couldn't help but smile at that praise.

Now, there was something else he was supposed to be doing. If everything went well, Olivia would have more than just one thing to be proud of him for.

* * *

Finally.

Yang noted this dryly when Jaune finished talking to Coco. She hadn't wished to interrupt them by going any closer, knowing how fragile the upperclassman's mindstate had been since Fox's murder. So she put her own impatience to the side to give the two of them their space and it looked like the conversation was over, brief as it ended up being.

"Hey, it's Yang, right?" Oh for the love of-

"Yes, it is." She tried not to say that through clenched teeth, turning just as Reese walked up. She gave a short wave, other hand in the pocket of her purple hoodie and a bright smile on her face. "And you're Reese; Jaune's ex-girlfriend."

"That's not a problem, is it?" Reese gave a short laugh, an undertone of teasing in her voice.

"Not at all." And Yang meant that, especially if their relationship was good and done. Having dated in the past herself, she couldn't possibly hold that over Jaune's head. However, right now she was distracting her from going over and making that happen. "Just wondering what it is you want, I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"This won't take but a minute." Reese glanced across the party and her green eyes seemed to also find Jaune and she nodded in his direction. "I was just a little curious what you thought about him, is all."

There wasn't any malice in her voice and even the teasing was gone. Instead, she sounded genuinely interested, almost like she was asking for Jaune's sake more than her own. Yang realized right at that moment, that the two of them had almost certainly talked yesterday, which meant she might also be aware of Jaune's new feelings.

Yang smirked confidently, walking up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Give me just a couple minutes and you'll find out." That was the only thing she said before walking once more towards Jaune.

She only got another couple steps before she stopped in her tracks, smile slipping from her face. Jaune had been interrupted again, providing yet another distraction.

The bigger problem was, this time that distraction was his twin.

* * *

"Jaune, we need to talk."

"Of course we do." He sighed in exasperation, turning to face Joan. Really, he probably should've know this talk was coming before he could make it over to Yang.

"Look, I know right now I have no right to try and talk to you about anything-"

"What are you talking about?" He cut her off, quirking an eyebrow curiously. She looked surprised by his own shock, gesturing vaguely around the room as her mouth opened and closed in an attempt to explain what she was talking about.

"I've been… avoiding you since we got back." She finally admitted, although he barely heard it over the music. "I didn't mean to be at first… it just kind of happened, because I was trying to put my team back together without anything changing. Even that ended up failing…"

"Joan, you don't need to be sorry for that." He stepped up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked back up at him, tears welling in the corner of her eyes. "Things are weird right now, I get why you would want to try and act like nothing's any different. It… hurt a little, but I get it."

"That's not fair to you, though." She argued, placing one of her own hands overtop his. "You've been forced to keep pushing forward while I tried to just stay behind." Despite her near tears, he smiled reassuringly at her.

"It's fine, Joan. You just need a little time… and the right encouragement." He looked over at Yang, to see her watching them with baited anticipation. "I was held back for a long time too. Now, I'm going to take the first step to move on, so that way maybe you'll be able to as well."

"She might hurt you, you know?" Joan glanced at Yang too before looking back at him once more. Even if her words weren't exactly asking him not to do this, he knew her eyes were.

"That's a chance I'm willing to take." It was thanks to his friends like Reese, Arslan, Pyrrha and Yatsuhashi he was able to say that and then mean it. "And it doesn't have to be right away… but give Ren that chance, okay?"

"How did you-" Her eyes began to dart to Yang - clearly suspecting her - but never made it when he gave a short chuckle.

"I'm your twin. If you can tell so easily who it is I like of course I'm going to be able to tell who you like." The hand on her shoulder slipped around to the back of her head and he pulled her up to him as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "You can't stop me from doing this, Joan. We're family, but sometime down the road, we're all going to make our own decisions. It… took me a long time to learn that lesson."

"I'm still going to worry about you." She reached up and gripped the front of his shirt tightly for a brief second before letting go. "...and I made her a promise. If she hurts you, I'm never going to forgive her."

"Well, let's hope it never comes to that then, yeah?" Finally, he stepped away from her and turned once again for Yang.

"Yeah." She agreed, no longer trying to stop him.

* * *

"Yang, Yang!"

Oh Hell no.

She loved her little sister but right now Yang was frickin sick of all the interruptions. Who knew it was going to be so difficult just to walk from one side of the room to the other? She should've told Blake to give her good luck after all because this was ridiculous.

It was impossible to turn away her little sister as she beelined it over, Autumn trailing a little behind, not even trying to match Ruby's exuberance. "I need you to tell me about Ember Celica so I can get some better ideas about how to finish Autumn's new gauntlets."

"Ruby." It took every bit of composure Yang had not to raise her voice, only able to rub her forehead in an effort to ward off the headache. "You've been over the blueprints for Ember Celica a thousand times. You know how I built them better than _I_ do." She kind of wished that was an exaggeration.

"Well…" Ruby poked her index fingers together, heel twisting against the ground as she gave her signature puppy dog eyes that she knew Yang could never refuse. "It's been a while. Please help me."

You know what? To Hell with it.

"Here, just take 'em." Yang didn't care anymore, already snapping the left bracer off.

"Really?" Ruby's demeanor immediately changed, looking now like Christmas had come early.

"Go to town." Yang snapped off the other before shoving them both into Ruby's outstretched hands. "Just don't put a hole in the ceiling." Actually, Goodwitch was here so maybe that wouldn't even be a problem. She could just fix it.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Thank you so much Yang! I love you!" Ruby was naturally beyond elated. Yang had never let her hold Ember Celica unsupervised before. She actually wasn't entirely convinced this was a good idea, but she was past the point of caring. And it was too late to take it back anyways as Ruby wrapped her in a big hug before taking off. "Come on, Autumn!"

The orange haired girl gave Yang a haughty look and she was almost ready for some kind of insult or smart aleck remark. Instead, she inclined her head and uttered only one word: "Thanks." Then immediately turned and began to follow after Ruby.

"Huh, well go figure." So Autumn could be nice sometimes, or at the very least polite.

"She takes a while, but she does warm up to people eventually."

"Kind of like Weiss, then." She responded without thinking, only realizing a second after whom it was she had responded to. "Jaune?" She whirled to see him standing just next to her.

"Guess we had the same idea, huh? And the same problems by the looks of things." He finished that sentence with a nervous chuckle, eyes darting around to look anywhere but at her.

Yang gave her own breathless laugh. "You're telling me. I thought it would never end." For all those interruptions, though, she had finally made it here and he still managed to meet her halfway.

This was it.

"So-"

"Did you-"

They both started and stopped at the same time. Ordinarily Yang might have found it funny, but at this point she just kind of wanted to get this whole thing over with. What had been supposed to be a simple stroll and conversation had turned into a game of stop and go which made her just want to yell what she wanted to say over everyone.

"Ah, sorry. Ladies first." Jaune at least seemed to find the situation somewhat funny, but even he looked exasperated. With another one of his skittish chuckles, he gestured for her to go ahead. Right now too, she intended to take him up on the chivalrous gesture, putting an end to this once and for all.

"Jau-"

"Big brother! Miss Yang!"

Nope, she was done with this game.

"Rouge, sweetie." Yang turned to Jaune's youngest sister and said in a voice so unlike her it caused the young girl to pause and hesitate, two cups of punch in either hand held halfway out in a generous offer.

"...Yes?" Rouge asked timidly, looking up to her brother to confirm she hadn't done anything wrong.

"It's okay, Rouge. Just give us a moment." He assured and gave her a gentle pat on the head, generating a relieved smile.

A moment was all Yang would need. She wasn't going to give anyone else a chance to distract them. She was conveying how she felt and she was doing it now, damnit.

Jaune turned back towards her and mouth opened halfway to tell her to continue. He never got the chance as Yang placed a hand on either cheek…

...and pulled him in for a deep kiss, lips smashing against his with so much force it was amazing their teeth didn't clack together. Jaune let out a small grunt of surprise, his blue eyes wide and unfocused. As her own eyelids slid closed however, she saw his begin to do the same and he leaned into the kiss.

His lips were warm and that was saying something coming from her. It wasn't hot or unpleasant though, and she was pleased to feel that warmth spread across her whole body, going from her lips right down to the tips of her toes. His arms snaked around her waist, feeling unnaturally strong compared to the frail hands that came to rest on her back, pulling her into him. Like their lips, chest and legs melded together and her own hands shifted, one going around to the back of his head - taking in a fistful of his blonde hair - the other slipping down to rest on his shoulder.

For a moment they parted, lips pulling apart the smallest fraction of an inch, noses still rubbing. She only got one small gasp of breath, eyelids barely cracking open before Jaune reclosed the distance. This time, it was her that let out a happy moan and the grip on the back of his hair tightened, lips biting down on his bottom one.

She couldn't so much hear the music around them anymore but feel it in her bones, all of her attention focused on his touch. Nor was she really paying any attention to the gasps, cheers, and whistles that broke out all around them.

What she did hear, and what inevitably ended up breaking their kiss apart, was the distinct sound of Ember Celica discharging.

The loud blast of a shotgun shell was more than enough to startle the whole room. Still holding one another, they turned their heads and along with everyone else stared at a mortified Ruby. Her little sister stood there, legs trembling and an absolutely guilty look on her face while holding an unfolded gauntlet of Ember Celica.

"Uh- umm… congratulations?" She held her hands in the air and waved them partly in celebration, but mostly looking uncertain about having just ruined the moment.

Still, points to her for trying to play the accident off as a celebratory discharge. Although the effect was immediately ruined when pieces of the ceiling fell and landed directly in front of her feet.

Loud laughter rang out across the whole room, although Ruby probably found that preferable to the scolding it looked like Weiss was about to give her.

Yang's attention was distracted, however, as she felt someone tug on her sleeve. She and Jaune turned to see Rouge looking up at them, yellow eyes alight in wonder and hands clasped together in front of herself.

"Does this mean… you two are dating now?" If the hope in her voice was any indication, she really wanted that to be the case.

"I think that's a pretty safe assumption to make." Jaune sound relieved himself but as she turned back to him there was a hint of question on his face. "Right?" She rolled her eyes and let out a small snort. Only he would still ask her after a kiss like that. She leaned in placed another kiss on his lips, this time more brief and chaste.

"Does that answer your question?" She asked after pulling away, although all his doubts already appeared to be gone, replaced by a subtle smile.

"Yeah, I would say it does."

* * *

"Well, that was more riveting event than I was expecting." Glynda's eye twitched and she had to fight the urge to massage her forehead, instead turning to give Ozpin a sharp glare.

"Please tell me that is not what you came here for." The sad thing was, she almost didn't doubt it. Her boss always seemed to be up to speed on the latest gossip and happenings amongst the students, not that she ever understood how.

"Of course not. I simply wanted to make sure you were having a good time is all." He gestured at the mug in her hand that he had given to her. Well, she was appreciative for the coffee and supposed he had been decent company… up until the very next moment.

"Now then. I shall excuse myself, as it would appear you have a ceiling to fix."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Quite a few chapters ago I got a review from A Very Lazy Person, asking me to do an omake with the Arc siblings playing truth or dare. I wanted to do that request but couldn't come up with a way to make it short. Now that I know these multi-part deals work, however, I figured I could go ahead and just do it that way. So this is another five-part omake, focused on a game of truth or dare between all eight of the siblings, elimination style. Fair warning, these get pretty wonky before the end but this one doesn't get quite there.

* * *

 **Omake 36**

 _Truth or Dare (Eight Siblings Remain)_

* * *

Rouge was incredibly thrilled right now.

Why was that? Because Violet was back from her first year of Beacon, which meant she was going to be home with them for the rest of summer. The whole family was back together again and that was cause for celebration.

And there was no better way to celebrate Violet's return than a time-honored game of truth or dare. So now all eight siblings sat in a circle around the living room. Olivia, Amethyst, and Violet took up the couch. Ciel sat slouched on the reclining chair. Jaune, Joan, Autumn, and herself were scattered across the floor.

"Alright, who should start?" Violet asked, looking around to gauge their enthusiasm to mixed results. Amethyst, Jaune, and Autumn looked like they didn't want to be here. Amethyst because she would rather listen to her music, Jaune because of the cruel and unusual things he usually was forced to do in these games, and Autumn… Rouge actually didn't know. Maybe she was just at that rebellious age she kept hearing so much about?

Ciel looked the most eager, only comparable in her giddiness to the upcoming game to Rouge herself. Olivia and Joan appeared the most neutral, most likely content to just do something as a family and not caring what the game was.

"Well, I suppose I'll pick then…" Violet sighed when she got no response, and her orange eyes finally settling on Rouge. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Most certainly!" Rouge nodded enthusiastically, red pigtails bouncing behind her. She quickly did another take of their siblings. She had to pick someone who wasn't into it right now in an effort to get them all in the spirit of things. "Amethyst, truth or dare?" Most of them probably expected her to pick Jaune or Autumn, so she decided to be a little different and go for one of their elder sisters.

Amethyst looked taken aback, her bored expression switching to one of shock and she pointed at herself in question. When Rouge nodded that she had in fact chosen her, she gave a resigned sigh and leaned forward. "Dare."

Rouge already had the perfect one in mind. She clapped her hands together happily while tilting her head. "I dare you to go steal Mister Hillpaw's prized chicken and bring him back here!"

"..."

"...You want me to do what now?" Amethyst looked back and forth, seemingly trying to see if anyone else just understood Rouge's strange request. Many of the others just shrugged, apparently not understanding any more than she did.

"You know who Mister Hillpaw is, yes?" Rouge asked patiently and with no trace of sarcasm in her voice, even though she knew they were all familiar with their neighbor and local farmer.

"...Yes." Amethyst responded warily, as if she was expecting some kind of trap.

"Well he has a chicken that he is very proud of. It has won him several awards in the local competitions. I want you to find it and bring it back here. You will know it when you see it, I assure you."

"Okay… why, exactly?"

"It's a dare, silly!"

Amethyst looked to bounce the idea back and forth for several seconds before giving a detached shrug. "Sure, why not? I'll go get the chicken." She was already pulling out her headphones as she stood up.

"You have to actually try and get it, Amy! Don't just wander around listening to your music!" Ciel scolded, swatting at the cord to Amethyst's headphones as she walked by.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I just need my music to get into it." Amethyst had already placed the headphones over her ears before she even left the room. They heard the front door open and close several moments later.

Then silence.

"...You think she's going to come back?" Why did Jaune sound so skeptical? It was a dare so of course Amethyst was going to come back with it. Those were the rules!

"Well, when she does it can be her turn." Violet rubbed her forehead like she was fighting off an impending migraine. "In the meantime, why don't you go again Rouge? Just… try and pick something more simple this time."

"Okay!" This was already off to a great start. Not only were they all playing together, but she got two turns in a row!

Now… who should she ask next?

* * *

 **Truth or Dare Status List**

 **Rouge: Active**

 **Autumn: Active**

 **Jaune: Active**

 **Joan: Active**

 **Olivia: Active**

 **Ciel: Active**

 **Amethyst: Active (On a quest to retrieve Hillpaw's Prized Chicken)**

 **Violet: Active**


	43. Uncertain Future

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Uncertain Future_

* * *

Schoolwork.

Contrary to popular belief, Weiss did not enjoy it like everyone seemed to think she did. However, she would also be the first to admit that compared to all the other crazy stuff they had gone through lately, she missed it. And were they ever behind on it, not just her but most of the students that had been taking off classes in order to help stop the Arc sisters.

Of course, she couldn't control anyone else (except sometimes Ruby) so the only thing she could do was work on her own. Which was exactly what she planned to spend the whole rest of her day doing. It was a rare opportunity in which RWBY had been able to attend every class without interruption and then not have any kind of event or Arc-saving mission planned for after.

Even when she did have downtime before, doing the schoolwork in their room- where she liked to do it best- hadn't been a very feasible option, what with three other tenants staying with them at the time. Now that Jaune and his two youngest sisters had cleared out and gotten a room with others, she finally had the peace and quiet needed to fully concentrate.

"It's here! It's here! It's finally here!" At least, she did until Ruby kicked open the door and began bouncing around their room like a bat out of Hell. Which was made more impressive by the fact that she was lugging around a crate that her arms didn't even fit completely around. She was so used to her partner's limitless energy she might have been able to ignore this altogether if it wasn't for the fact that the crate had the mark of her father's company printed on the side.

"Ruby…" Blake appeared to notice too, book snapping shut as the faunus scooted back defensively on her bed. "Are you sure it's safe to be jumping around with that?" This dolt had apparently learned nothing of the volatility of Dust. Looks like she was going to have to give her another one of those pamphlets to read again. Provided she didn't blow them all up first.

"Nah, it's fine!" Ruby stated before unceremoniously dropping the crate in the middle of the room. An act that caused every sane girl in the room to flinch. Weiss even went so far to put one hand on the desk, prepared to dive out the window if necessary. After everything they had survived, she would not go out because of something as stupid as Ruby's reckless Dust handling.

"So what is it anyways, sis?" Yang appeared from the bathroom, running a comb through her shortened locks with care that was unusual even for her.

"It's Dust!" Ruby popped the lid open excitedly, completely missing the look on Yang's face that said 'no shit' while she rummaged through the contents inside. "This should be everything I need to finish Rouge and Autumn's new weapons. In fact, with this bad boy, I can have Rouge's done today!" She declared while pulling out a long, rectangular case and hoisting it above her head.

"Are you on the way to do that now?" Yang's eyes lit up before she dipped back into the bathroom. "Wait for me and I'll go with you!" She yelled from inside.

"Why? Need an excuse to see your new boyfriend?" Ruby drawled in a voice more facetious than Weiss had ever heard her use before. Not that Weiss could blame her. It was always Yang teasing them about boys and before now none of them ever had any kind of ammunition to use back against her, not for a lack of trying. For the first time since Weiss had met her, Yang showed genuine interest in dating. Not that flirtatious teasing she was always otherwise known for.

"I don't need an excuse. I was going to go see him anyways so we might as well head over there together." Of course, they were going to have to try harder than that to embarrass Yang, especially considering how publicly they had decided to get together last night. It made Weiss blush just thinking about. Fortunately, Ruby had managed to get her mind off of it when she blew a hole in the ceiling.

"And you need to freshen up for that?" Blake peeked in the bathroom before rolling her eyes at their blonde teammate. "Aren't you two just going to spar anyways? There's really no point in going through the trouble."

"That's where you're wrong, Blake." Yang emerged again, flicking her partner in the forehead and slipping her orange muffler back around her neck. She'd taken to wearing it even with her school uniform like right now, ignoring how horribly it clashed. And that was on top of putting so much makeup on her neck that the scar she was trying to hide was barely visible anyways. "He and I agreed to take a break from all the physical exercise. We're taking an off-day."

"Right… I'm sure you two won't be doing anything _physical_ with one another at all." If it had been anyone else on the receiving end of such goading words, the sputtered denials would've been endless. Unfortunately for them all, this was Yang and she wasn't going to be so easy to get to.

"If you want, partner-" Yang grinned brightly, throwing an arm over Blake's shoulder. "I'll share all the juicy details with you later. You just gotta tell me all about how you spent Sun's last _night_ here at Beacon." Just like that, Blake's teasing backfired in her face as she was reduced to a blushing, stuttering mess of denials. "That's what I thought." Yang stepped away, but not before giving Blake two light pats on the cheek.

"So who else wants to try?" Yang turned to the last two members of their team, a competitive gleam in her eye. She was actually hoping they would try to embarrass her. Only because she knew she could run circles around the rest of them if they tried. Weiss could only imagine the dirt Yang had on Ruby as the young girl shook her head so rapidly she looked like a blur.

"What _do_ you plan to do?" Figuring it was a lost cause, Weiss decided to steer the conversation to safer waters. She would also admit that she was a little curious. So she was a little disappointed when Yang just shrugged.

"Don't know yet. I think we're just going to relax, walk around Beacon. I'd like to go down to Vale but this was a little last minute. Maybe we'll talk about something we can do in the next couple of days?" Yang said this as if she was just coming up with it herself. Weiss always knew she was spontaneous but this was ridiculous.

"Have you thought about how you want this relationship to go at all?" Weiss didn't even try to hide her exasperation. She thought for sure if Yang had finally decided to go out with someone she would have it a little more planned than that.

"Chill out there, Ice Queen." Did she really have to resort to using that nickname? "We only got this figured out last night and with everything else still going on, we weren't exactly setting up an itinerary."

"I'm just saying-" Weiss continued in a more subdued tone, not wishing to turn this into an argument. "You should probably decide what it is you two are doing in the long run. Once this is done, Jaune isn't likely to remain here at Beacon. It's entirely possible he and his sisters may have to move somewhere very remote and far away just to avoid persecution for their crimes. Assuming they're exonerated at all."

"We'll figure that out when the time comes." Yang shrugged it off, but she seemed to take the point as Weiss could see the gears in her head starting to turn. "You ready, Ruby?"

"Yep!" Ruby bounced up, holding only the smaller case. She skipped next to her sister and the two of them went for the door, calling their goodbyes over the shoulder. All the noise and excitement seemed to go with them, much to Weiss' relief. Blake's too apparently, as she returned to her book.

Now then, she could finally get something done. At least until Ruby came back.

* * *

"Rouge!"

Ruby called for her friend while she knocked on the door perhaps a little too energetically. She was just so excited she could barely contain herself. It had been so long since she built and finished a weapon from scratch. She really hoped Rouge liked this when it was done.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yang straighten her hair one last time, not that it needed it this time or any of the other times before. Ruby had to fight the urge to snort in amusement. She hadn't seen Yang act like this since they were both still at Signal.

That had been kind of a weird time. Ruby had gotten excited for the first couple boys Yang had brought home. It was like they were getting a new member of the family, at least that was what she thought. By the third guy, Ruby had already become despondent to Yang's rotating door of boyfriends.

Most of them had been jerks, not that Ruby ever would've said this to Yang's face. One or two of them she had liked and even humored her when she went on one of her weapon rants but like all the others, they disappeared about as quickly as they came. None of them she ever got to know well enough to say whether or not she would have wanted to call them "brother."

Jaune was already different than that. Unlike the rest of them, he was someone Ruby actually knew before Yang had started dating him. Actually, Ruby probably knew more about Jaune initially than Yang did. That was because Rouge had brought him up often while they attended Signal. In fact, he was the only sibling Rouge ever brought up so she had assumed a brother was all she had. Which might explain why she had never been able to connect the dots that her and Joan were related.

So for perhaps in the first time ever, Ruby really hoped this relationship Yang was in worked out. She liked Jaune and if this went well enough… Ruby wouldn't just gain a brother, but a whole new group of sisters too. Two of them being among her best friends. So while she may have been a little weary due to Yang's previous track record… she was also incredibly thrilled by the potential it held.

"Ruby! Miss Yang!" And she knew Rouge was too as the door opened up to reveal her friend. Both sisters were immediately wrapped in a hug of surprising strength for a girl her size. Then again, Rouge always had been pretty tough, despite never really having a reason to be. "Come in, come in!" After ending the hug she grabbed each of them by the arm before tugging them into the room.

"Big brother, look who is here." Rouge pushed Yang forward perhaps a little too blatantly, considering there was no need to advertise her presence. The moment the two sisters had been thrust into the room, Jaune had stood up from the chair at the desk he had been using.

Sitting down next to him was Joan. In one ear, she had on a bud from the pocket radio Jaune always had on hand. The other bud clacked to the desk as Jaune removed it from his. Autumn laid sprawled out over the bed, scribbling furiously on a some kind of map. Probably marking off places she had checked with her Semblance.

"The gang's all here… I'm surprised." If Ruby didn't know any better, it sounded like Yang's quip had some kind of bite to it and her lilac eyes seemed to be locked awfully specifically on Joan. What that was about Ruby had no idea and she didn't get a chance to ask before Jaune stepped quite intentionally between them.

"I don't get to see you in your uniform often, you look good." The compliment tumbled smoothly enough out of Jaune's mouth, but again Ruby felt like it was only to diffuse whatever was going on between her sister and his. It seemed to be more than enough for Yang, however.

"Thanks, Lad- Jaune." Yang paused, for once stopped herself from using one of her patented nicknames. Thankfully she did them all a favor and didn't switch to some barf-inducing one like "babe" or "honey" or "sweetie." Not that it stopped her from showing her affection otherwise as she stepped up to him and lock her lips with his.

It was with morbid fascination that Ruby watched her big sister and friend kiss one another. She wanted to turn away and give them their privacy, yet for the life of her couldn't avert her eyes in the slightest. And now that she thought about it, wasn't this kind of long for just a greeting kiss?

"Ugh." Apparently Autumn thought so too as she let out a terrible wretch. Which only seemed to please Yang more as she pulled away and gave the younger girl a satisfied smirk. Jaune meanwhile had a look that was an odd combination of stupefied, embarrassed, and blissfully enthralled all at once.

"We'll catch you all later." Yang declared before slipping an arm through Jaune's. He barely managed to utter out a goodbye of his own before she dragged him off and out the door.

"I'm so happy they got together." Rouge was the only one of them that didn't appear at least a little uncomfortable with Yang's rather public way of showing affection. The only one in a group that included Yang's sister, no less. Ruby had no idea how Rouge managed to do it.

"At least someone is." Joan said this with a sigh, starting to wrap up the earbuds she and Jaune had been sharing.

"Are you and Yang fighting?" Ruby saw this as the opportunity to ask about what had seemed to be going on between them before. At the question, Joan's face twisted in a complicated expression, like she wasn't entirely sure how to answer that.

"I may have been... openly opposed to the two of them asking one another out. Among other things." Ruby tilted her head, not at all understanding why Joan would say that. Sure, maybe the timing was a little odd, but if Jaune and Yang liked one another than wasn't that all that really mattered?

"Not openly enough." Autumn snorted, snapping the book of maps shut. "Jaune always listens to what you say. If you had pushed harder he wouldn't have gone out with that-" She stopped short of whatever-it-was she was about to call Yang, green eyes darting to Ruby as if she just remembered she was here.

"Things have changed." Joan let out another loud sigh, leaning back in her chair far enough to look at Autumn upside down. "Jaune's grown up now and he's going to make his own decisions. It's not our right to stop him. We just gotta be ready to be there if she hurts him."

"Yang won't do that!" Ruby blurted this out before she even realized she had thought it. Suddenly the floor became much more interesting as all three sets of eyes in the room turned towards her. "I know Yang has a bit of a reputation…" Ruby continued, voice much more meek. "But she would never hurt Jaune, not intentionally. She's not like that."

"...You're right. I'm sorry, Ruby." Joan stepped up from her chair and Ruby felt a hand gently rest on her shoulder. "Yang was one of my first friends. I know she means well… I'm just concerned for my brother, you know how that is." That much Ruby could understand. In her own way, she just didn't want to see Yang get burned again either. She might not have felt so anxious about it if this whole thing just didn't feel so sudden.

"We should all be more supportive this time." Rouge stomped her foot on the ground, actually sounding frustrated. It wasn't an expression Ruby often heard from her friend. "If Big Brother and Miss Yang stay together… Ruby will be family!" As Rouge said this, she wrapped Ruby in a tight hug. "And it is because you did not support him and Reese that they broke up."

"Speaking of Reese-" Ruby finally found a chance to change the conversation. "Where is she?" Arslan wasn't around either and this was also their room.

"They went to the CCT to contact the rest of their team back at Haven. I feel kind of bad for them, being left out of all the fun while their teammates are half-way around the world." There was a trace of empathy in Joan's words and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Even if they found the rest of their sisters, the three of them couldn't go after them with Jaune. They were stuck here, forced to wait. Rouge had experienced that twice already.

"I know this doesn't change anything, but maybe this will help a little?" Ruby hefted up the container she was holding and all three sisters took notice of it for the first time. Before they could ask what it was, Ruby took it over to the bed, where she laid it down. Unhooking the latches, she popped the container open.

Located inside was a long, thin, red Dust crystal cut in the shape of a rapier blade.

"This is…" Rouge let out a small gasp.

"The final touch to your new weapon." Ruby finished for her, gently removing it from the container. "It took me a while to come up with a way for you to generate the flames like you were used to. This right here is a pure, refined crystal. It's durable, not as much as forged steel, but your Aura should protect it so long as you don't lose your grip. Once it's installed the dials on the hilt should work at regulating the output. Eventually you'll need to replace it but with proper maintenance it should last you some time."

Having finished her explanation, Ruby hesitantly turned towards her friend and held the crystal up. "Do you… like it?" She didn't know what to make of Rouge's expression, just staring at it with wide yellow eyes.

As if she was grabbing a baby, Rouge lifted the crystal from Ruby's grip and ran her fingers along the length. "...I love it." Her voice was breathless, like she'd just run a marathon. Ruby couldn't contain the huge grin that broke across her face at the reaction.

"There's no way this was cheap." Joan and even Autumn looked at the crystal in awe. "How did you manage to afford this?" At that question, Ruby let out an awkward giggle and rubbed the back of her head.

"Don't tell Weiss, but I may have… borrowed her family discount."

* * *

"This is pretty nice weather we're having."

"Now I _know_ you did not just bring up the weather as a topic for conversation on our first official date." Yang deadpanned while giving Jaune a sharp glare. The expression of guilt on his face was too much and a second later that glare gave way to a giggle.

The two of them strolled along the edge of Beacon's cliffs, hand in hand. The view wasn't exactly something Yang hadn't grown accustomed to looking at, but it was very rare she took the opportunity to enjoy just how high above the rest of the world it felt like Beacon was. Jaune seemed enamored with it, for sure.

He was at least right about the weather, even if it was a poor topic for conversation. Pretty soon and it was going to be fall and they were going to lose these beautiful days to just stroll outside, at least until next year.

Although if they saved all of Jaune's sisters, he wouldn't be here next year. Yang frowned, realizing that she was again allowing Weiss' earlier words to get to her. She just had to ruin all Yang's fun and make her think about their future before she even had a chance to just enjoy the now.

"Was it really that bad a topic?" Jaune appeared to still be hung up about his weather conversation, causing her to give a quick roll of the eyes.

"Just wondering about something is all." Yang paused as they passed in front of a bench positioned to look out over the cliffs. Jaune moved to sit first giving a small tug to pull her along with him. Unconsciously, the hand holding Jaune's traced patterns over his numerous scars. It would be so much easier just to talk about what they wanted to do in Vale next weekend. Damnit Weiss.

"What… did you want to do with your life? Before all this crazy stuff started." She realized she actually knew very little about Jaune's life before he was forced into this whole mess.

"Ah, it's not very exciting." Jaune didn't seem too surprised by the topic, but he certainly did look embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head, which actually made Yang even more curious. "I was uhh… well, I was thinking of trying to become a primary school educator."

"Really?" Yang cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. No matter how she looked at Jaune, she just didn't see him in a classroom teaching a bunch of kids. "What, you didn't have enough of school so you want to go back?"

"I was homeschooled, actually." Yet another thing she didn't know. "My mom was a teacher and she worried that I might have a hard time fitting in because of my hands… not that I ever exactly gave her a reason to think otherwise. So she spent her evenings after work giving me my education which is kind of the reason I decided that was what I wanted to do. I guess… I figured if I couldn't become a Huntsman like dad, at least I might be able to follow in her footsteps."

"...And now?" She didn't see much reason that Jaune's answer would have changed. As messed up as his hands were, teaching wasn't likely to be too demanding on them and even if his mom wasn't here, that didn't change who she'd been.

"I'm not so sure anymore." Jaune admitted with a small chuckle. "It was never really a dream I was attached to, it just felt more like the only option I had at the time. Besides, the Arc name isn't exactly really popular right now. If parents found out I'm the brother of those girls that went on a Kingdom-wide killing spree… they might not want me near their children."

"So what do you want then?" If Yang was being honest, she'd like to try and talk him into attending Beacon, but going by what Joan had said that was likely to get her nowhere. Then again, maybe his time here had changed his mind.

"I mean, if we go by what Luteus Oblido told me-" She wasn't sure Jaune should be taking life advice from a murderous pair of gauntlets, but she would hear this out. "The only thing I've ever really wanted to do is help people. If possible… I'd like to find a way to somehow undo some of the damage those swords have wrought. I know I can't give back the lives they've taken but there's gotta be something I can do."

"That's it then? Just spend the rest of your life picking up after your family's mess?" It sounded to her like he never intended to quit trying to pay for his sister's crimes, even after they were all saved. She supposed that shouldn't have been too surprising, but she still couldn't agree with his reasoning.

"I also promised to help find your mother. And an Arc always keeps their word." There was that at least. Yang didn't have to worry so much about Jaune going somewhere after they saved his sisters thanks to that promise. And who knew how long finding her mother would take… she'd been at it a long time already.

"I'll hold you to that then." Yang smiled softly as she leaned over, head coming to rest on his shoulder. This was actually kind of nice… simple. Certainly less exciting than what she normally enjoyed but they could save all that stuff for their first real date. Which they really should figure out what it was they wanted to do.

 _Bzz Bzz_

Before Yang could bring it up, the scroll in her pocket started going. She didn't know who it was, but they had better have a really good reason for calling her right this second. Against her better judgement, Yang pulled the scroll out if for nothing else to see who it was. The moment she saw the name and face displayed across the screen, however, her eyes widened.

"Is that… Ozpin?" Jaune noticed too, as it was hard to mistake the headmaster's appearance for someone else. Now that she knew who it was, she had no choice but to answer. Sliding her finger across the screen, the scroll gave a small click as it connected the call.

"Miss Xiao Long?" Ozpin didn't even give her a chance to say anything, voice conveying immediate urgency. "Is Jaune with you?" Yang glanced at her boyfriend and nodded for him to say something.

"I'm- uhh- I'm here, yeah." That was all Jaune got to say before Ozpin cut in again.

"I need you in my office. Immediately."

"Is it my sisters?" The previous anxiety in Jaune's voice vanished without a trace, blue eyes hardening.

"Yes. Two of them appeared in Atlas." Ozpin paused, only for a second, but his hesitance was enough for the two teens to share a concerned look. "They've just publically executed one of their leaders."

Yang sucked in a breath. Was that for real? Atlas had the strongest military in the world… and two of his sisters just waltz in there and dragged one of their councilmen into the streets to kill him? Why? What the Hell was going on?

"I'll be right there." Jaune looked to be racing through all those same questions even as he said this. No sooner did those words leave his mouth then Ozpin disconnected the call, no doubt having about a dozen other ones to make right this second. When Jaune looked at her, she already knew that it was to apologize but she had no intention of hearing it; squeezing his hand tight enough for him to know she understood… and that he wasn't alone.

"I'll go with you."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 37**

 _Truth or Dare (Eight Siblings Remain Part II)_

* * *

"Big Brother… truth or dare?"

Damnit.

Somehow he just knew he was going to be the next one Rouge called. Honestly, it was a miracle she hadn't called on him first. Oh well, there was no getting out of it now. The only thing left was to decide what kind of unusual punishment he wanted. Some super embarrassing question or sent on some crazy mission like Amethyst?

After just witnessing Rouge's current idea for dares, he deciding the former option would probably be the safer one. "Truth."

"Have you yet to receive your first kiss?" Well, that actually wasn't too bad.

Surely all his sisters already knew the answer to that. After all, he was still eleven years old, not lucky enough to know the lips of a woman. That wasn't entirely for a lack of trying, considering every attempt he made when Violet's very cute, super nice partner, Lily, came by (which wasn't nearly often enough).

"I haven't." He said no more than that, not willing to give away any more information than necessary. If he gave an inch, his sisters would take a mile and he was not about to let that happen so early in the game.

"That's too bad." Rouge appeared genuinely disappointed by the news, not that anyone else looked surprised. Although, Violet did look strangely pleased but he wasn't going to comment on that. "It is your turn now."

"So it is. How about it then, Autumn? Truth or dare?" He was eager to just get his turn over with and pass it on to the next sibling. Go back to trying to be invisible, even though he knew it was to no avail.

"Dare." Autumn was predictable in her choice, as she for some reason always obstinately refused to say truth. He didn't know the reason behind that, but really didn't figure it mattered either. He had the perfect dare prepared already, one to give him one less heartache.

"I dare you to be nice to me the rest of the game."

"W-what!?" For just a second she looked outraged and seemed ready to call him something or another, before quickly simmering down. "...Fine." She grumbled in defeat. It was amazing how obedient they all became under the rules of truth or dare. Maybe it was an Arc thing?

"Olivia, truth or dare?" Autumn, like him, was quick to pick a target and move the game along.

Their older sister hummed in thought and placed a hand on her chin, indigo eyes darting to the ceiling. He didn't know why she thought about it so hard every time. The last time they played this game her choice had been truth. That meant without fail this time she would choose the other. It was like she couldn't stand the thought of not doing both. "Dare."

"I dare you to eat those cookies Rouge baked earlier." Damn, that was evil. Olivia's complexion quickly paled at such a horrible, evil, request.

"Can I do something else? Please not that."

"Hey!"

"No. You said dare and that is my dare."

Apparently they were all going to ignore Rouge's betrayed cry then, yeah?

Okay, he guessed he would too.

Olivia gave a terrified whimper as Ciel dashed off to the kitchen to retrieve the untouched plate of cookies. That was if you could actually even call them cookies. They were round, but that was about the only resemblance to their intended form that they had. They didn't even have the consistency of a crumbly, peanut butter cookie, which was what they were supposed to be. How she managed to char them black but give them the consistency of jello was a mystery to them all, and not one they had any desire to solve.

It was this terrible, offensive object that was forced into Olivia's hand. She looked about ready to cry as she inched the "cookie" closer and closer to her mouth. All at once, she closed her eyes shut and shoved the whole thing in all at once, munching rapidly before giving an audible gulp.

"Whew…" Olivia gave a relieved sigh, apparently having not tasted much of anything. When she opened her eyes, she gave Autumn a triumphant look, but the younger girl merely snorted, unimpressed.

"They are not that bad…" Rouge grumbled to his left, but again it appeared they were all just not going to acknowledge that.

"Okay, then." Olivia scanned the room as she prepared to choose her target.

 _Grumble_

She never got the chance, as a loud, low, and terrible sound echoed out across the room. The source… Olivia's stomach.

"Oh God."

That was all she said before both hands clamped over her mouth, eyes wide in terror. Not even a moment later and she was dashing out from the living room and down the hallway. What followed next was the distinct sound of her retching into the toilet.

"Okay, so maybe they are a little bad."

* * *

 **Truth or Dare Status List**

 **Rouge: Active**

 **Autumn: Active (Has to be nice to Jaune)**

 **Jaune: Active (Never been kissed)**

 **Joan: Active**

 **Olivia: Inactive (Puking uncontrollably)**

 **Ciel: Active**

 **Amethyst: Active (On a quest to retrieve Hillpaw's Prized Chicken)**

 **Violet: Active**


	44. Familicide

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Familicide_

* * *

His sisters were killing people again.

It wasn't like they had exactly stopped killing since the swords took over, but in some ways, this was many times worse. For the first time since they started, they had moved to a different continent, somewhere it would take him too long to reach in order to make any kind of real difference. That was assuming they stuck around at all.

To make things even more complicated, they killed one of the leaders of Remnant's most powerful kingdom. Atlas wasn't going to take something like this lying down… and it had just gotten that much harder to bargain for their exoneration. Not that Jaune ever exactly had much leverage to begin with, but if the councils of the world hadn't been willing to listen to the truth before, they were even less likely now that one of their own had been brutally executed.

He just didn't understand why the swords were even doing this. What reason did they have to kill so indiscriminately and with such widespread malice? Their actions just seemed so inconsistent and sporadic he was beginning to wonder if there even was a method to their madness.

The distress on his face must have been showing again because Yang gave his hand another comforting squeeze. It was an act he appreciated, more than she probably knew. So he wished he could do better than give her a forced smile as they rode the elevator up to Ozpin's office.

With a small ding, they finally arrived and Jaune had to stop himself from outright sprinting into the office. It was very likely he might have if Yang hadn't continued to keep a grip on his hand, holding him back just enough to keep his pace at a brisk walk.

"Ozpin, what's going on? Has anything changed? Do we know why they did this?" The questions tumbled out his mouth before he was even halfway across the room, but Ozpin didn't answer him at all, merely looking down at his scroll with eyebrows knit and a deep frown.

"The situation is worse than we expected." Instead, it was Glynda who answered as she stepped around the side of the desk, wearing a deep frown of her own. Unlike usual, it wasn't one that looked angry or intimidating but instead filled with worry and melancholy. "The Anti-Arc Task Force was in Atlas to receive upgrades to help them deal with your sisters. The two groups are now battling outside the Atlas council chambers."

"The Anti-Arc Task Force?" Yang tilted her head in confusion, not having been with Jaune when Lily explained to him their formation.

"It's a group made up of my sister's old teammates. All three of Ciel and Olivia's old comrades are being led by the remaining two of Amethyst's." He still couldn't believe their teams had agreed to this.

Amethyst's old teammates… saying they hated her was putting it lightly. They were also terrified of her so it was strange to think they would agree to go up against her in battle. Ciel didn't fare much better in relationship to her old team, but he never thought the animosity had been strong enough that they would agree to kill her. And knowing Olivia, she had probably made living in the dorm with her old team a pain in the ass, which he supposed could've contributed to their decision to join this group.

"If they used to be on the same team as your sisters, doesn't that mean they have some kind of strategy for taking them down?" Yang glanced between Jaune and Glynda for an answer, but the only response either gave her was an increasingly thin-lipped grimace.

"The whole world has been briefed on strategies for defeating the Arc sisters." Ozpin spoke up for the first time since they entered the room, turning the scroll towards them as he did. "That does not mean anyone is actually able to employ those counter-measures effectively enough to make a difference. Your sisters are simply too strong… even for those that know them."

Jaune felt his stomach sink as he looked at the headline displayed on the news broadcast Ozpin's scroll was currently viewing.

 _The Kingdom's Anti-Arc Task Force Defeated_

There was some kind of helicopter footage playing in the background but it was too chaotic for him to truly gather what was going on. The most he could make it were the flashes of explosions as well as what looked like ice-shaped Grimm scouring the streets and causing mass panic.

"Are they…"

"For now, it would seem they're still alive." Glynda had flipped on her own scroll and was glancing over the latest reports. "It doesn't look good, however. No one can get close enough to evacuate them and now that all eight have fallen, your sisters have turned their attention to the Atlas Forces. It's possible they'll still be killed just for being in the crossfire." If fully-trained Hunters who had a history with his sisters couldn't beat them, he didn't see how simple soldiers were expected to.

"Which of my sisters is it? And where are the others?" He didn't really get why his sisters would split up now of all times. If they were going to go on another murder spree, didn't it make sense to stay closer together? Then again, he already realized earlier that it was impossible to rationalize their thoughts so there was no reason this instance would be different.

"The only two sisters spotted in Atlas so far have been Ciel and Violet. We don't know about the others. It is possible-" Glynda was cut off by the sound Ozpin's desk ringing, the whole thing lighting up like a giant scroll. Jaune tried not to grimace, only imagining who it could be calling him now.

"I take it you've seen the news then." So it was to great relief and comfort when it was the familiar face of Lily who popped up on the screen. Well, as much comfort as he could get from the current situation. Better than some councilman calling with demands for his sisters' heads, that was for sure.

"Did they agree to acquisition you those files you requested now?" Glynda stepped back around the desk to stand by Ozpin's side, waving Jaune over to do the same.

"Yeah, they didn't want to give them to me at first. Changed their tune pretty quickly the moment their task force got publicly disgraced on international television. The fact that both Atlas and Vacuo are being hit simultaneously probably helped."

"What about Vacuo?" Jaune had only heard about Atlas and if the faces Ozpin and Glynda were now making was any indication, that was all they heard too.

"...Oh boy." Lily ran a hand through her dirty-blonde hair, pushing the bangs up to reveal her eyes. "Spirits from Mortem Caligo popped up all over Vacuo… and I mean all over. From the city all the way out to the desert villages."

"What!?" Glynda was already punching in a search into her scroll to confirm what Lily just told them.

"The public execution in Atlas was a cover…" Ozpin's fingers interlaced as he leaned back in the chair. "They pulled the eyes of the world away to buy them a chance to mount a full-scale invasion on Vacuo…" His voice trailed off, eyes turning to look at the ceiling.

"They're trying to wipe out a whole kingdom?" Jaune felt his knees go weak and the world began to spin. He only realized that he began to stumble when Yang caught him, holding him upright and securing him in a tight embrace.

"Not exactly." Lily shook her head, voice sounding so far away yet somehow so close at the same time. "It looks like my earlier theory was correct and they're after very specific targets."

"Theory?" Jaune's mouth felt so dry he was amazed his voice managed to work at all, the very air he was breathing tasted like ash. Was Lily actually saying there was some kind of plan… some strategy behind everything that was going on?

"Let me start from the beginning." Lily glanced at them all individually, making sure she had their undivided attention. "This all started about a month ago. When a huge majority of your family was gathered in one area-"

"If you're saying the swords activated because they used them all at the same time then that doesn't make sense." Jaune didn't mean to cut her off, but if that was the case then the swords would've taken over the moment Rouge was compatible. "They've been together before and this has never happened."

"When I said family, I didn't mean just you and your sisters, Jaune." His eyebrows furrowed, not seeing her point. "I mean your whole extended family. Think about it, when have there ever been that many Arcs gathered in one place? Your sisters accomplished something huge! So of course even your extended family would show up to celebrate that."

"Are you suggesting that somehow being around that many Arcs triggered them into awakening?"

"Forget about the possession part for a second. I'd be willing to bet the swords had been capable of that all along. It wasn't that something happened that forced them into taking over, it was this was the _best_ opportunity for them to take over." She was actually suggesting the swords made a conscious decision to take over during the party that night?

"If they could have taken over at any time, why wait?"

"I already told you. Almost your entire extended family was there. You really still don't get it?"

"So then… the swords are targeting Arcs?" Or at the very least anyone with Arc blood, considering most of them likely no longer had the Arc surname anymore. What exactly had they done for the swords to want to wipe out their entire lineage? That wasn't just petty revenge... that was anger so deep-rooted it must have been simmering for centuries.

"Well, if we're being technical, the only two targeting the other Arcs are Ostrum Tempus and Mortem Caligo. The rest were kind of trying to kill _you_." Oh yeah, there was that. So when the swords first took over, they had all been on the same page… but something changed and the rest of the swords had decided they wanted him dead more so than the other Arc descendants, which actually made sense.

"Why did Ostrum Tempus try to recruit me to begin with then?" If it really was true and they were killing all Arcs, that made him just as much a target as everyone else they were attacking. He was even more dangerous considering he was the only one that could kill them.

"Violet… the sword-" It was surprisingly Yang who answered, speaking slowly as if forming the words as she spoke. "When I asked it about you, it said you were more like them than you were us. I thought it was just trying to piss me off, but maybe it actually considers you one of them?" That was a disconcerting thought, one that had him glancing down at the scars on his hands. While it was true the glyphs were passed on differently than the swords, it was at least true that there was only ever one bearer at a time.

"I assume you have more proof than just the attack at Domremy?" While Jaune was distracted with these thoughts, Glynda took it as an opportunity to push the conversation forward.

"Right. So like I was saying, Atlas finally granted me permission to those records I requested." Lily turned the scroll so it was facing her computer. Featured on its display was what looked like some kind of tree diagram but the resolution was too distorted to make out any of the wording. "That night the four swords attacked Jaune in Vale, the remaining two broke into the CCT in Atlas. There was only one document they even looked at: An Arc Ancestry Chart."

"Atlas has that?" He didn't even know there was such a record, let alone that something like that was accessible. If the swords had this, they now had a way to find everyone descended from his ancestors, whether their surname was still Arc or not.

"The Arcs originally hail from old Mantel and were once quite an influential force." Glynda rubbed her chin, eyes squinting as she attempted to read the document. "If that chart is right… then there are at least a thousand people descended from Arc lineage. Somewhere along the lines, the main family moved here to Vale, but it is reasonable to assume they spread out across the whole world."

"Bingo!" Lily spun it back to her face, grinning all too brightly given the circumstances. "Anyways, they wiped out almost all of them in Vale in one fell swoop and with this list, they could now target the rest. So that's what the elder swords had been doing until Kessel. Systematically assassinating them as discreetly as possible."

"Now that all the swords are working together again they no longer have to be discreet and are aiming to finish the job as quickly as possible." Glynda's voice had gotten rather nonchalant, considering that they were talking about his sisters wiping out an entire family lineage now. "So am I to assume the councilmen they killed today was not just a distraction, but also someone descended from the Arcs?"

"Quick on the uptake as always, Professor Goodwitch. According to this, the greatest concentration of Arc descendants actually still live in Atlas. Mistral had the fewest… and well, they're all already dead. Those two really took advantage of the fact that everyone was looking for them here in Vale. Vacuo… there's nothing we can do now that it's started, sorry to say. Atlas might take them awhile but once that's done, there are only eight Arcs left. Not counting those possessed, I'm guessing you already know where they are."

"...Here." Jaune whispered under his breath, eyes darting to the elevator. Was it actually possible by saving only a couple of his sisters that he had put them in more danger than they were before? Not just them, but everyone here at Beacon, considering the swords didn't care much who else got killed along the way.

"So what was Kessel?" Yang gestured towards Lily, looking to indicate at her dog ears. "Most of the population there is faunus, so…" He got what Yang was saying but while the Arcs may have been a traditional family, they weren't racists.

"I think that was just because we provoked them." Lily shrugged it off just like that. "They were trying to put distance between themselves and Jaune. I'm guessing they also wanted to hide from the elder swords too. They either made a mistake coming to Kessel or Glacies Inferno knew I would catch them, alerting the other two to their location. We should actually consider ourselves lucky Ostrum Tempus intervened. Unlike the rest of the swords, she doesn't seem as eager to kill just anyone."

"Lucky… yeah." He didn't even think Yang was aware of it, but her hand reached up and began to rub the scar underneath her muffler.

"What is our move from here?" Glynda glanced between Ozpin and Lily, waiting for a response from either. "We know what they want now, so surely we can come up with a way to stop them."

"Like I said, Vacuo is probably a lost cause." Lily shook her head sadly. "If Mortem Caligo has truly summoned its spirits all over the kingdom like the reports are saying, by the time we arrived there would be nothing left to do but help bury the dead."

"So we go to Atlas then!" Glynda's riding crop slapped against the desk, staring solely at Ozpin now in an effort to get him to say something. "We can't just do nothing!"

"Nothing... might be our best option." Lily flinched when Glynda's angry eyes turned on her. "Look, I know it's not fun, but there's no guarantee we'll make it to Atlas in time either. Rather than reacting to what they've already done we should plan for what they're going to do next. This means gathering our forces at Beacon for when they come to finish the job. You're a strategist, Professor Goodwitch. You have to know that's our best plan."

"Of course I know it's our best course of action, but I cannot condone doing nothing while those girls are being forced to commit mass familicide against their will!"

"Miss Goodwitch..." Jaune couldn't believe he was about to say this. "I can't leave Beacon, not if my sisters are in danger." Everything he had done so far would be for nothing if halfway to Atlas the remaining swords came here and murdered his sisters while he was gone.

"And there you have it." Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground, finally making his stance. "If Jaune will not move from here, then there is nothing we can do either. He is, after all, the only one with the means to break the swords."

For several seconds, Jaune wondered if Glynda would even go against Ozpin on this one. Instead, she let out a long breath, shoulders deflating in resignation. Whether that was because she was alone in wanting to go to Atlas or simply abiding by Ozpin's decision, he didn't know.

He also didn't think Glynda was wrong. In fact, she was probably more in the right than they were. Saving as many people as possible is what they were supposed to be doing, but this way had a better chance at securing them a victory. It may have been for the wrong reasons, but this was the right decision.

"It's not like we're just going to be sitting around on our thumbs." Lily talked wearily as if afraid the wrong words would set Glynda back off. "I've already got the cavalry coming and they're going to do some digging to see if maybe we can develop other ways to break the swords."

"Wait, what?" That… did not sound good for him. Not if her words implied what he thought they did.

"Wanda and Rue, the last two of my team are on the way." Lily said that as if it was supposed to be reassuring, which it wasn't considering what just happened to the rest of his sisters' old teams. "They can't exactly ignore this anymore and Rue has this crazy idea that might work."

"What are they going to do? You said "other ways to break the swords" but what do you mean by that?" Jaune leaned over the table, sounding frantic even to himself.

"They're… heading to Domremy." Lily looked unsure at best, obviously not expecting him to react this way to the news. "I think they're hoping to find some kind of information about the Shatter Glyphs that might have survived the destruction. Maybe come up with a way to replicate them?"

Damnit, damnit, damnit! He _knew_ it.

"Jaune, I know how you feel but they're not going to mark anyone. We're thinking about trying to find a way to weaponize it. No one has to get hurt."

"No!" Lily's mouth snapped shut at his unexpected shout. "You have to call them right now. Tell them not to mess with the glyphs at all. I don't… no one knows what will happen if they try to experiment with them."

It was a guaranteed fact if they marked someone, he would die five years to the day of them doing that. What if they succeeded in finding a way to turn weapons into glyphs though and suddenly created dozens of them? Forget five years… his time could be reduced to mere weeks.

"Jaune, what's going on?" Yang gripped his arm, her very concern transferring through the touch alone. It wasn't exactly like he wanted to hide the truth from them as he had been trying so hard lately to accept these scars and everything they represented.

If he told them about what happened to glyph bearers when another one was marked however, that was the same to him as admitting that he murdered his uncle. And that his uncle murdered his own father, Jaune's grandfather. It was the darkest truth of the glyph bearers that they all inherited their power by stealing the life of the one before them.

"Just… tell them there's nothing they can do. Tell them everything on the glyphs is gone." The fact that they couldn't do anything even if they found out how to replicate the glyphs might actually be true.

As far as Jaune knew, you had to be marked using the Ambiance from one of the swords, which is why Glacies Inferno was the most popular tool throughout history used to carve the inscription necessary for the next bearer. It was Ciel's dagger his father had used to cut his hands open.

According to Lily, what Rue and Wanda were going to try was unprecedented. The Arcs never strayed from the teaching passed down because of their traditions so he really had no idea if there was another way that existed this whole time. The one thing he did know was any tampering done was only going to end poorly for him, so he couldn't take the risk of them even trying.

"You need to give me more than that." Lily looked like she wanted to help him, she really did. "Rue can be stubborn at the best of times… and if I don't have a really good reason she's not going to stop now." He hesitated, knowing Lily was right. Of Violet's teammates, Rue had been the one Violet had the most difficulty getting along with… but that was because they were more similar to one another than either cared to admit.

Rue was also likely to listen to Wanda, so if he could at least convince her, he would be safe. Wanda was… odd, for lack of a better word, but she was probably his best shot. For this to work, however, he almost certainly had to meet with them.

"Are they on the way to Domremy already?" He didn't like the thought of this. Leaving Beacon was exactly what he had been trying to avoid doing… he just had to hope he had time to go back home and convince them before his remaining sisters decided to move here.

"I know they were securing passage to leave the caravan they were protecting when I last talked to them. One way or the other, they're closer to Domremy then they are to Beacon so they'll stop there first regardless. If you left within the next couple hours you might be able to beat them there." Lily already seemed to know what he was thinking, rising to her feet and bringing the scroll with her.

"I can meet you there, if you need to convince them this is wrong, they're more likely to listen to you with me around." Despite not knowing his reasoning, she didn't ask further for what it was. It was something he appreciated about Lily and he knew Violet always had too, her unwavering loyalty no matter the circumstances.

"You two cannot be serious." Glynda's bewildered yet furious tone caused Jaune to cringe. "You both have responsibilities to attend to, you cannot just up and leave simply to hash out this disagreement in person."

"I've already made the necessary preparations to leave Kessel." Lily waved Glynda's concern away with a flick of the hand. "The chain-of-command is secure and my presence is definitely going to be needed at Beacon if you want to beat Ostrum Tempus when she comes to murder her sisters."

"Mister Arc is free to do as he wishes." Ozpin again went along with the two of them. Poor Glynda was probably starting to feel a little discriminated against at this point. "If intercepting Miss Sylvia and Miss Weigela is what he believes to be the best course of action, then I will continue to stand by him. Unlike going to Atlas, he could be back from Domremy late tonight if all goes well."

"Exactly. He'll be back in no time and bringing the three of us with him is worth the risk, believe me." At least Lily was confident in their battle strength. It wasn't like Jaune or anyone else for that matter could deny the strategic advantage they gained by adding Violet's old team to their defense.

"Great!" Yang piped up, already pulling out her scroll. "I'll let the team know to get ready." Before she could bring it up to her ear, Jaune reached over and placed his hand over the top, earning a confused look.

"It might be better… if I bring as few people as possible on this one." He knew that wasn't going to be something she wanted to hear, so when her face went from perplexed to shocked to heated in the span of one second he was prepared for it. "It's not that I don't your help, I do. I just think it might be better to keep as many people close to my sisters as I can. Their safety is still my number one priority and I know I can trust your team and the others to look after them."

"You can't go out there by yourself. You should at least bring my team with you for backup." She brushed his hand aside, starting to bring the scroll back up.

"I'm not going alone. I plan to bring Reese and Arslan with me." Domremy used to be Reese's home too. He had no doubt she wanted to see it again, even in the state it was currently in; abandoned and burned to the ground.

"You're going to bring them but not _us_?" It wasn't his intent, but he knew she was taking his words to insinuate that he trusted those two from Haven more than all the teams at Beacon.

"This is just about doing what's best for my sisters, you have to believe me…" He held up both hands in an effort to placate her. Yang's eyes narrowed dangerously but to his relief did not flicker from their usual lilac to red.

"Fine… I won't call my team." He let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. "But I'm going with you." She slipped away the scroll and jabbed him in the chest. "Got it?"

"I got it." He didn't have a good enough reason to turn her down… and he would be lying if he said he didn't want her to come at least a little. So much for trying to think about things practically.

"Ah… poor Jaune." Lily giggled from her end of the call. "She's got you whipped already."

"You better believe I do." Yang grinned, draping an arm over Jaune's shoulder and pulling him in close. "So I guess we'll be seeing you again in a couple hours."

"I look forward to it." With that, Lily gave one final wave before the call disconnected. Since it looked like that was decided, the only thing left for him to do was find Reese and Arslan.

Then it would be time to head back home.

Back to the place where this whole nightmare started.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Unfortunately, this was also the extent of what I had planned with the remaining sister teams, just having them get defeated in passing in a faraway place. While I'm not entirely happy with that decision it seemed the lesser of two evils, the greater one being introducing all eight of them as even more OCs for you all to have to learn. I probably could've gone without mentioning the teams at all but I think having at least some explanation for what they were doing is better than nothing, even if this is all it amounted to.

* * *

 **Omake 38**

 _Truth or Dare (Seven Siblings Remain)_

* * *

Autumn didn't see why she had to participate in this stupid game.

All she wanted was to get her turn over with and be done with it. Of course Olivia had to go and get sick from Rouge's cooking, effectively removing her from the game and once more defaulting the turn back to her. And it's not like she could pick Jaune. She still had to be nice to him.

"Ciel, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Ciel puffed out her chest with pride.

Autumn hated how smug she was whenever they played this game, acting like she was the queen of it. She needed to make her feel less mature somehow. Maybe by asking something like...

"Have you had a taste of alcohol yet?"

"Sure have." Ciel admitted without missing a beat.

"W-wait, what?" No, no. The answer was supposed to be the opposite.

"Yeah, Dad doesn't exactly hide the stuff. Keeps his whiskey right in the kitchen cabinet."

"Ciel! You're underage!" Violet jumped to her feet, quickly leaning down to give Ciel the scolding of her life.

"My turn! Violet, truth or dare?" Ciel quickly brushed past the scolding, instead turning the game towards their eldest sister.

"Don't think this conversation is over… and dare." Violet, perhaps not wanting to pick a fight on her first night back, relented and agreed to go back to the game.

"Can't yell at me if you're guilty too. How about it? Why don't you have Dad's whiskey? I dare you to finish the rest of the fifth before you can keep playing." Violet's mouth curled in disgust but she gave an understanding grunt before turning on her heel to go into the kitchen. A few seconds later and she returned, half-empty fifth of whiskey and shot glass in hand. She already had the first glass turned up, apparently trying to get through the stuff as quickly as possible.

Autumn wasn't sure what whiskey tasted like, but if the vile expression on Violet's face was any indication, she never wanted to find out. Violet sat back down on the couch, looking strangely at the bottle like she was reading the contents. Then she poured another glass and took a quick shot before starting to refill it.

"While we wait for her to finish that." Ciel rubbed her hands together evilly, excited to see what it would look like when their ever uptight eldest sister was drunk. "How about it, Joan? Truth or dare?"

"Oh… umm, dare?" Joan looked unsure at best. Even more so after what Ciel just made Violet do. Jaune had picked truth last time, however, and those twins always alternated off one another, although Autumn wasn't sure they realized it.

"I dare you to swap outfits with Jaune." All eyes turned to the twins, or more specifically their clothes. Jaune was more or less dressed how he normally was, simple t-shirt and exercise shorts. Joan meanwhile wore a more revealing tank top and an unfortunately short, pink skirt.

Oh this… was going to be good.

* * *

"I love this game."

"I hate this game."

Autumn and Jaune said respectively as he walked back into the room, pink skirt and all. Joan couldn't even look at him, hands pressed over her eyes in a shield as they made their way back over. Ciel meanwhile was about falling off her chair with laughter.

Violet kept drinking her shots, although her eyes were clearly starting to haze over now as she watched Jaune with a strange amount of scrutiny.

Jaune walked like he had to pee, upper legs pressed together and lower legs stretched at a weird angle. It took him several tries to figure out how to sit down without having the skirt expose anything most of them would rather not see.

Joan kept mumbling quiet apologies to him, but they seemed to have little effect. She eventually gave up, awkwardly hiking up his shorts which appeared a couple sizes too big for her.

"Autumn… truth or dare?"

Her again? Really?

"Dare."

"I dare you to do cartwheels on the roof." Ah crud. Autumn knew she shouldn't have told Rouge that lie last week. Apparently Joan had overheard her and was using this as the opportunity to call her out on it. This was why she never picked truth. All she had to do was actually pull this off and no one would be any the wiser.

"Fine, let's do this." She declared confidently.

* * *

"I can't do this. I can't do this." Autumn trembled in terror as she stood on the slanted roof of their two-story home. The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon, which was actually quite a nice view from up here and one she might have been able to appreciate if she wasn't so busy trembling like a leaf.

"Whoo! Go Autumn!" Shut up drunk-Violet. Was it even possible to get drunk this quick? At the rate Violet was drinking, probably.

"You can do it Autumn!" And why did Rouge have to shout that with such unwavering belief? How could she possibly look at her if she failed?

"Tick tock, Autumn. Hurry up!" Joan called impatiently a moment later.

Jaune and Ciel had stayed behind, him because he didn't want to walk outside in Joan's skirt and her so she could continue to laugh at him.

"Here goes nothing…" Autumn sucked in a deep breath before getting a running start. The wind raced by her ears and she could feel the adrenaline surge through her. She could do this!

The world spun as she flipped over, hands coming down to press against the tiles. She was doing it! She was doing it!

 _Crack_

Uh oh.

That didn't sound good.

Turns out, when the roof makes a cracking noise while you're cartwheeling across it, that is in fact: not good.

Without any more warning, a hole opened beneath her and she fell through.

The last thing she saw before her head hit the wooden floor were the surprised faces of Jaune and Ciel.

* * *

"You think she's okay?" Jaune asked, poking Autumn's unconscious form.

"Eh, this is what Aura's for." Ciel shrugged unhelpfully. "She's breathing, right?"

"...Yeah."

"Then she's fine. Don't worry about it. Now… about getting that picture of you in the skirt."

* * *

 **Truth or Dare Status List**

 **Rouge: Active**

 **Autumn: Inactive (Fell through the roof performing a cartwheel)**

 **Jaune: Active (Wearing his twin's skirt)**

 **Joan: Active (Wearing her twin's clothes)**

 **Olivia: Inactive (Puking uncontrollably)**

 **Ciel: Active (Has drank whiskey)**

 **Amethyst: Active (On a quest to retrieve Hillpaw's Prized Chicken)**

 **Violet: Active (Drunk)**


	45. Homecoming

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Homecoming_

* * *

"I still don't see why we had to stay behind." Bolin groused into the screen, slouching lazily on the desk with his chin resting in the palm of one hand.

Arslan rolled her eyes at her teammate's theatrical complaining. She had explained it to both him and Nadir at least half a dozen times before they left for Beacon why this was the most practical choice. This wasn't an official mission on Haven's records. In fact, an official mission was more likely to have them hunting the Arc sisters down, not trying to save them.

That meant they were responsible for any classes missed and wouldn't be exempt just because they were putting their lives on the line. While it was true they were doing what was right, they also had responsibilities as students of Haven. That meant splitting the workload, the two of them taking care of the academic side of things while they dealt with this.

Reese was, of course, going to be the one to go as it was her hometown destroyed in the attack and Arslan had the responsibility as the leader to make sure she didn't get killed. Which by default left Bolin and Nadir to stay behind. No matter how much they disliked the idea.

"Thank you for the notes, Bolin." Arslan ignored his complaint altogether, patting her scroll which had just finished downloading all the notes her teammates had been taking for them and was just now transferred over. The CCTS was truly an incredible system, allowing them to transfer whole documents halfway across the world just like that.

"Yeah, yeah." Bolin sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You two better come back safe, okay?"

"Making sure we get back safe is exactly why I'm here." Arslan gave him one last reassuring smile before reaching forward and ending the call. It was good to talk to him and Nadir but if she did for too long it made her realize how much she missed them and Haven. Not that she would ever say this to either of them aloud. The last thing she needed was them getting big heads and thinking she cared about them.

With the call complete, the only thing left to do was find Reese and get out of here. Hopefully, she wasn't getting into any kind of trouble, although knowing Reese it was more likely than not. She didn't hear her causing a commotion yet so that was a good sign, but she didn't immediately see any sign of her either.

"You look lost." Arslan stopped and turned, not sure if the unfamiliar voice had been calling out to her or someone else. She came face to face with a girl dressed in what she supposed was considered quite fashionable by today's magazines. Reese knew more about stuff like that and while Arslan was trying to learn, she really just couldn't develop a sense of it. Practicality was always going to triumph over style, she supposed.

It was hard to tell through the girl's dark shades if she was looking at or past her and Arslan found herself glancing over the shoulder to see if there was maybe someone behind her.

"I'm talking to you." The fashionable girl clarified with a small chortle. "You might not recognize me because we didn't talk but I was at that get-together RWBY's leader put together last night." Arslan turned back to see the girl extend an open palm. "The name's Coco."

"Arslan." She took Coco's hand, noticing how surprisingly strong her grip was from a girl with such a sense of style. Arslan had found those things usually didn't correlate. "I came from Haven together with my partner to help save Jaune's sisters."

"My team used to be tutored by one of them." Coco didn't mention how strong the sisters were like everyone else seemed to feel the need to warn them. Something which Arslan appreciated as it felt like most of them were inadvertently trying to talk them out of being here, even if she knew that wasn't the case. "So you didn't answer my question; are you lost?"

"No. I simply had to contact the rest of my team back in Haven." Arslan once again went back to glancing around the room they stood in. "Now I'm just looking for my partner so we can head back to the room."

"I'll walk with you." It wasn't a question and Arslan found she respected the straightforwardness. It was comforting to have such a trait in a comrade she may have to trust to have her back. "I'm interested in the material you've got on here." Although conversation might be difficult, Arslan tensing uncomfortably as Coco felt up the sleeve of her yellow robe.

"What brings you to the CCT?" Instead, she tried to change the conversation, at least until they found Reese. Who she really should start looking for now.

"I had a call to make." Coco didn't elaborate more than that, leaving Arslan to believe either it hadn't been a pleasant call or perhaps one she made out of obligation rather than actual desire. Either way, Arslan didn't press the issue as they set out to find her partner.

"Arslan! Arslan!" Not that she had to look hard, Reese jumping up and down as she flagged them over, yelling far above what was considered an acceptable inside voice. Arslan scowled until her ears picked up on the loud murmur of the crowd Reese was standing at the edge of.

A huge group had gathered around a large tv that hung in the corner of the room. Arslan couldn't hear what was being said, but she would've been blind not to be able to read the huge words printed across the display.

 _Vacuo Under Assault - Atlas Councilman Murdered - Arc Sisters Unstoppable?_

"That… looks like a call to action." Coco tilted her sunglasses down, glancing up at the display over the rims.

"I agree. We should locate Jaune." Arslan waved Reese towards the elevator, already setting a brisk pace for it herself. She did not expect that this would be the way they found out about their first real chance to help, but perhaps it wasn't much of a surprise.

"Hey there, it's Coco, right?" Reese greeted, jumping into the elevator just before the door slid closed.

"That's right." Coco nodded to her, adjusting the bag that hung over her shoulder.

"I'm Reese. Looks like we'll be fighting together." She may have sounded relaxed, but Arslan knew that was just a front her partner put up to try and hide the nerves. It would be foolish not to be at least a little frightened about the possibility of having to fight these sisters.

The rest of the elevator ride down was taken in a tense silence. Coco had pulled out her scroll, probably to contact her teammates and let them know to get ready if necessary. The compartment stopped at the bottom floor and the three of them were out the doors before they even completely opened.

"Jaune!" Reese called in surprise no sooner than they stepped foot out of the tower. He and his girlfriend appeared to have been running right for it and once they saw them slowed to a stop.

"Reese. Arslan." Jaune glanced between them but appeared to hesitate for a moment when he saw they were with Coco. "I take it you've seen the news?"

"We have." Arslan nodded, stepping up to him and placing a hand on her hip. "So what is our next move?"

"Actually…" Again he hesitated. "...I'm heading back to Domremy. I'm wondering if you two will come with me?"

Both teammates shared a surprised glance. Vacuo and Atlas were under attack and he wanted to go to neither?

"...Yeah, you're going to need to back up a couple steps there." Reese took the words right out of her mouth as they looked back at Jaune in perfect sync.

"We found out that his sisters are eventually going to attack here." Yang supplied in his place. "So instead of playing cat and mouse we're going to just buff up our defenses." Arslan could certainly understand the logic in that, but she still didn't see what that had to do with Reese's old home.

"I'll explain on the way but we're only going there to meet a couple of Violet's old teammates and then bring them back here." The answer was a little too simplified for her taste, but one glance at Reese told her that probably wasn't important. It was clear she wanted to go back home… at least see it again.

"Alright, we'll go with you." Arslan placed a hand on Reese's shoulder, earning a thankful grin from her and a relieved smile from Jaune.

"How do you plan to get there?" Coco suddenly asked, stepping around them so she was directly in front of Jaune and he shuffled awkwardly at the sudden proximity.

"Sorry, Coco. I know you've just gotten back on your feet but I'm trying to keep as many people here at Beacon as possible. We're not going to fight my sis-"

"I didn't ask you about any of that, I asked you about how you plan to get there." Coco cut him off, leaning forward and tipping her sunglasses down to glare at him with brown eyes.

"Oh… well-" Jaune paused and eyes widened as if he only just realized something.

"Exactly. You know there's not any kind of public transportation running to or from Domremy right now? That whole expansion is completely locked down. If you want to get there you need to provide your own transportation." Coco declared this all matter-of-factly before straightening back out and crossing her arms in a way that was outright smug.

"Fortunately for you, I just so happen to know how to fly a bullhead." She paused just long enough for that to sink in. "So instead of giving me some bullshit excuse, you should be begging me to take _you_ there."

"She's got you on that one." Yang snickered, smacking Jaune in the back as he stared at Coco with mouth agape. A moment later he seemed to regain his composure and cleared his throat.

"Coco… I don't suppose it would be too much trouble to have you take me to Domremy?"

"That's more like it." Coco laughed and shook her head as she walked past, hand coming around to slap him in the butt. He gave a small yelp at the contact and whirled around. "Now hurry up, I want to make this quick so my team doesn't have time to worry."

"You cool with her touching your boyfriend like that?" Reese asked, stepping next to Yang as the group followed after Coco.

"So long as he's not the one slapping other girls' butts, we're not going to have any problems." Yang laughed the question off with just that and a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders. Arslan rolled her eyes, actually feeling a little bad for Jaune now that Yang and Reese had struck up a conversation.

She just really hoped this group could be more mature, otherwise this was going to be a very long trip.

* * *

Reese glanced out the window of the bullhead to see the scenery below racing by.

Right now it was just green canopy as far as her eye could see but eventually it would be her one-time home. She had mixed feelings about going back to see Domremy. It was the place where she was born and raised so, of course, she wanted to at least pay her respects. However, she also wasn't entirely sure she was prepared to see what had befallen it. This was her first real opportunity to do something for Jaune since arriving and he had even been thoughtful enough to ask her to come with him. So despite any misgivings she had about this, she decided to bury them and brace herself for whatever it was she might see.

"I don't think I can hold it in much longer." Jaune heaved, doubling over in his seat. Yang sat next to him, rubbing his back in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture. If Reese had learned one thing in the time she had dated Jaune, it was that there was no good way to stave off his condition. Yang appeared to know her efforts were only going to amount to nothing either, already scooting her shoes as far away from his mouth as possible.

Which was probably a good idea, Reese tucking her own feet beneath the seat she sat in. Why did she decide it was smart to sit across from Jaune again? Arslan looked at him in concern, this being her first real experience with the Arc family curse. Reese remembered that one time she sat on a train with four of the siblings. That had been a nightmare.

"Don't suppose you have any advice for dealing with this?" Yang asked in what sounded half like a joke yet half serious at the same time. Reese grinned at her and gave a short shake of the head.

"Best I can tell you to do is always remember to bring some gum and mouthwash with you. Trust me, you only have to kiss him once after he's finished throwing up to feel like you might yourself." She could still remember how horrible his breath was to this day, shuddering slightly at the memory.

"That would ruin my evening, that's for sure." Yang may have laughed it off, but Reese could tell she took a serious mental note about what she just said. "What else you got?"

"Are you seriously going to swap dating advice right this moment?" Jaune already looked like he was regretting sticking his current girlfriend and ex-girlfriend in a confined space together for an extended period time. Really, he should have known better.

He might have complained further but opening his mouth to say that took up the last bit of resistance he had left. Cheeks bulged unnaturally as he struggled to undo his seatbelt. Yang let out a sigh as she clicked it for him. He was on his feet a moment later, throwing open the door of a tall metal locker placed next to Reese, probably in hopes of finding a bucket.

Two pale hands extended out the locker and handed him one. He grabbed it gratefully before unloading the contents of his stomach into the silver container.

"Thanks." He grumbled in relief, sinking to his knees and clutching the bucket to his chest.

"No problem."

"..."

It took them all several quiet moments to realize something was very wrong with this picture.

Finally, it seemed to hit them all at once, Jaune reacting first by jumping up and away from the locker with wide blue eyes.

"Blake!?" He retreated towards the wall behind him, running smack into it.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Yang undid her own seatbelt as she jumped to her feet. Stepping out from the locker was her dark haired teammate who sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"I may have overheard you and Jaune talking on the way to the transit." She admitted, yellow eyes glancing around at each one of them individually. "I got left out last time… and I knew you would tell me to sit out this one as well if I asked so..."

"So you followed us and snuck on like a stowaway?" Reese had to admit, she was actually kind of impressed. How this girl not only managed to stay behind them the whole time without being detected but also managed to sneak into that locker before they boarded was an incredible feat.

"That's pretty much correct."

"Well-" Yang appeared to get over her own surprise, sinking back down to her seat and patting the empty one next to her. "Nothing we can do about it now. Have a seat, partner." Blake smiled in relief and took her up on the invitation.

"I'm glad you finally discovered me. It was getting pretty uncomfortable in that locker." Then why the heck had she stuck in there for so long? The moment they had pretty much taken to the air it probably would have been safe for her to come out.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack." Said the guy who didn't even blink when she handed him the bucket that was now half full of his vomit.

The sound of the speaker clicking on overhead interrupted any further conversation as Coco prepared to make an announcement from the cockpit.

"We're approaching Domremy now so I hope you guys are all strapped in." At those words, Reese once more glanced out the window. In the distance, she could see smoke still rising from where her hometown was.

"Is the fire from the attack still burning?" It had been almost a month now since this whole thing started. The flames should have long since been extinguished.

"Fia Vesta's flames don't ever burn out." Jaune shook his head sadly. "Without the sword there to manipulate that fire the only way left is for me to shatter the Ambiance powering them." So did that mean no one had even been able to go in to begin rebuilding? Was it possible they hadn't even cleared out the dead?

The speakers clicked back on again before she could ask either question.

"Now is also probably not the best time to mention this but I'm not exactly sure how to land this thing so… you might want to brace yourselves for a bit of a rough touchdown."

"What!?" All of them cried out at once.

"I thought you said you had a license!?" Jaune even appeared to forget his motion sickness for once, yelling loud enough to be heard in the cockpit.

"I never said license. The only thing I said was I know how to fly one of these… minus the landing part." That was kind of a crucial part of being able to fly if you asked Reese.

"I suddenly regret the decision to sneak in here…" Blake's face paled and she gripped the straps of her seatbelt so tightly her knuckles were beginning to turn white.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Yang eyed Jaune… or rather the bucket he was holding as he made his way back into the seat.

"What?" He clutched the bucket a little more tightly to his chest, eyes almost daring them to take it from him.

"Nuh uh. You get that thing away from me. Go take it by them or something."

"Hell no!" Reese was not about to risk having that bucket of vomit anywhere near her when they crash landed. "I've gotten enough of your vomit on me when we dated. It's your new girlfriend's turn."

"Jaune, if you cover me in your vomit I will break up with you."

"Just throw it out the bullhead."

"I say we just throw _him_ out the bullhead."

"I vote we don't throw me out the bullhead."

"Oh for the love of- give it here!"

Arslan rolled her eyes as she got out of her seat and ripped the bucket from his hands. She placed it back in the locker where he originally got it and slammed the door shut. Then she fixed them all with one last glare before returning to her seat.

"Seriously, children no matter where I am."

Well… at least if they died in a violent crash now it wouldn't result in all of them getting covered in vomit.

It was the little things that count.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Remember when I said these omakes were going to get kind of weird? Well, this was the one I was talking about. I regret nothing.

* * *

 **Omake 39**

 _Truth or Dare (Six Siblings Remain)_

* * *

The numbers were starting to dwindle.

Joan noted this dryly as she looked around the room.

She should probably leave Violet alone, their eldest sister barely holding onto coherency as she swayed back and forth drunkenly, having finished the remainder of the whiskey.

Jaune had been through enough, still wearing her favorite skirt.

Ciel… Joan wasn't about to risk anything with their most sporadic sister.

That just really left…

"Rouge, truth or dare?"

"I will choose truth." Their youngest sister perked up, looking excited to finally have the game come back to her.

"Are you the one eating all my pudding?"

"Eep!" All of Rouge's energy immediately gave way to fear as she realized she had been caught. Joan knew it! At first she thought it might have been Ciel, but after carefully laying a trap for her with Jaune, she was disappointed to find that was not the case.

"That… could possibly… maybe… be me, yes." Rouge admitted with her head hung low, shoulders slumped and twiddling thumbs.

"Just…" Joan had planned to give whoever it was an earful when she found out, but how could she possibly do that to her cute, adorable little sister? So instead she gave an exhausted sigh. "...ask me next time before you have some, yeah?"

"Okay!" Rouge immediately nodded, unfallen tears caught in the corner of her yellow eyes.

"And it's your turn again."

"Very good!" As if a switch was flicked, Rouge went from about to cry to bubbly and excited again. She didn't even pause to consider who she was going to pick, turning to look at their blue-haired sister. "Ciel, truth or dare?"

"I guess I'll go with a dare this time. Keep it interesting." Joan would argue they had too much "interesting" already, but nothing she could do about that now.

"I dare you to give big brother his first kiss!"

"..."

"...What?!" Three voices overlapped at once. Those voices belonging to Joan, Ciel, and Jaune. Violet might have joined them if she hadn't been busy swatting at invisible flies in the air.

"I know I said keep it interesting but isn't that a little… too interesting?" For once, Ciel and Joan's thoughts were in-line.

"Why would you put me through this? Isn't it enough that I'm already wearing a skirt?" Jaune looked ready to begin outright balling.

Rouge placed her hands together, looking only thrilled that they would ask.

"Father always says that what women look for in a man is confidence, big brother. He also says the best way to gain confidence is experience. The faster you get experience, the sooner I can have a little niece or nephew."

Okay… did that mean she had already discounted the chances of the rest of them one day having kids?

"Damnit Dad!" Jaune cursed silently under his breath. "I should have known it was you corrupting sweet lil' Rouge!"

"Well, a dare is a dare. And that's some undeniable logic." Ciel cracked her neck, slowly rising to her feet.

"In what way!?"

"Just don't argue with it, Jaune. Now come here."

"No!"

"Hey, don't run!"

"I said no!"

In an entirely predictable turn of events, Ciel was now chasing Jaune relentlessly around the edge of the living room. Every time they ran past Joan's hair was buffeted by the wind they generated.

She wondered if she should stop them before they broke something?

 _Crash_

Too late.

There went mom's favorite vase.

"Jaune-" She could at least prevent something less valuable from breaking. "You know running with a skirt on means you're showing us all your underwear, right?"

"What!?" He stopped hard in his tracks and turned to look down at the pink skirt he had on. Ciel, however, was not prepared for his sudden halt.

 _Whack_

 _Thud_

She collided into him full force, tackling them both to the floor. "Hmmph, hmmmm…" And immediately captured his lips in hers. Much to his displeasure if his flailing limbs and muffled cries were any indication.

"Oh my." Rouge was watching through the gaps in her fingers, despite this having been her dare.

'Oh my' was right, however.

"Ciel… you can stop now." And did she just see a little bit of tongue? What kind of sick game was this turning into?

"Dare complete!" Ciel finally pulled up, although that may have been in a need for air, more than anything else. She was gasping heavily for breath, as was poor Jaune, who also had several small strands of drool rolling down his cheeks. His eyes were slightly misted over, but he still seemed coherent.

"Ciel!"

Oh shit.

They had all gotten so caught up watching the chase and subsequent kiss, they all forgot one vital fact: Violet was here. And even drunk as she was, apparently, she was aware enough to realize exactly what had just transpired.

"W-wait! Vi! It was just a joke! Please no, don't!"

Poor Ciel never stood a chance. Violet was behind her before any of them even saw her move, arms coming around Ciel's waist and pulling her tight. Then with all the grace of a pro wrestler, she hefted her into the air and stumbled backwards, performing a perfect suplex.

"Joan! Save m-"

 _Thud_

Ciel never finished that sentence, back of her head slamming against the wooden floor.

 _Thwack_

Violet didn't stop just there, however, and in her drunken state kept going until the top of her own head hit the floor as well. Both bodies of their elder sisters went limp and collapsed into unmoving heaps.

And thus, Rouge took out two of their sisters with a single dare.

Not to mention had probably permanently scared Jaune in the process.

* * *

 **Truth or Dare Status List**

 **Rouge: Active (Stealing Joan's pudding)**

 **Autumn: Inactive (Fell through the roof performing a cartwheel)**

 **Jaune: Active (Has unwillingly received his first kiss)**

 **Joan: Active (wearing her twin's clothes)**

 **Olivia: Inactive (Puking uncontrollably)**

 **Ciel: Inactive (Suplexed for making out with her younger brother)**

 **Amethyst: Active (On a quest to retrieve Hillpaw's Prized Chicken)**

 **Violet: Inactive (Knocked herself out performing a drunken suplex)**


	46. Domremy

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Domremy_

* * *

"That could've been worse."

"Define worse." Jaune really hoped Beacon wasn't going to make them pay for that bullhead because well… they wouldn't be bringing this one back with them in the condition it was in.

"We could be covered in vomit." Reese piped up unhelpfully.

"Or dead." Coco didn't look the least bit remorseful for the near destroyed vehicle they had all by some miracle walked away from. How the heck did she get the keys for that thing in the first place without a valid license? You know what, nevermind, he didn't even want to know.

"And how exactly do we plan to get back without our only form of transportation?" Arslan's voice was like an oasis of common sense among a group that otherwise lacked any.

"Those girls we're here to meet must have gotten here somehow, right?" Yang looked to Jaune hopefully for the answer. He could only shrug, not at all knowing how Wanda and Rue planned to depart.

"Only one way to find out I suppose." Blake was the first one of them to turn away from the crashed ship, looking into the deserted expansion that had once been his and Reese's home.

He wished he could say it wasn't recognizable anymore. Unfortunately, even tarnished as it was, this was still distinctly the place he grew up. Taking several hesitant steps, he started forward and further into Domremy.

Coco had at least managed to get them over the fifteen-metre wooden walls before she finally lost control of the bullhead. In her defense, the very first thing they ran into after doing so was a wave of thick black smoke. From there Jaune wasn't even sure what they had hit but it could've been anything from a broken building to a jagged spire of ice.

Like Fia Vesta's flames which never burned out, Glacies Inferno's ice never melted without outside interference. It created quite the unique spectacle walking down the middle of the street. Certain houses and businesses on one side would be frozen completely solid, perfectly preserved right down to the people who had been inside. On the other side there was nothing left except for ash as orange flames raged on hungrily.

"You okay?" He heard Arslan ask behind him, no doubt reaching out to her partner. Jaune paused just long enough to see Reese looking into one of the frozen buildings.

Despite himself, he followed her gaze and saw the terrified faces of three children not even half their age. They had been cowering against the side of one building, the eldest one wrapping his arms protectively around the younger two. Despite the obvious horror etched onto his face, he hadn't averted his eyes, staring forward until the end.

"Can't you save them?" Yang asked the question he supposed was inevitably coming. "Do what you did to save Blake."

"That was… different." Blake had Ambient electricity coursing through her body. She only survived because he destroyed that energy before her heart had been stopped for too long. If he did the same thing now for these kids… it was possible they would disappear altogether, depending on how deeply Ciel had frozen them. If they didn't, what was left of them was already long dead. "I'm sorry."

"We know it's not your fault." Blake rested a hand on his shoulder but it did little to alleviate his guilt. This had been where everything started, where he should have been ready to stop it, not off sulking by himself.

"Let's just keep going." Reese was finally able to tear her eyes away from the scene, setting off at a brisk pace twice as fast as they had been moving before. "I assume we're going back to your old house?"

"Yeah." He followed just behind her, confident that she still remembered the way. "If you want we can take a detour-"

"I'd rather not." She cut him off, already knowing he planned to offer to swing by her old house. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to return. Who knew what kind of state it was in. Her grandparents had remained living there after she and her parents moved out… and if they were still in there when his sisters attacked… he ended that train of thought there.

It was bad enough he could place the names of those three frozen kids if he put his mind to it. Domremy was a small village where everyone more or less knew everyone, after all. He especially didn't want to see the corpses of people he had talked to and even spent time with.

That thought alone was enough to trigger a flashback of his parents. He tried not to let that distract him or cause a noticeable reaction, but even he could tell there was a pause, a hitch in his step.

Yang noticed too, her hand coming around and grasping his, fingers intertwining before giving an affectionate squeeze. It was only a small gesture, but he could feel his stiff shoulders relax ever so slightly thanks to it. He gave her an appreciative grin, thankful to have her presence, even if she had been the one to have to demand it.

"Looks like we won't be going this way." A giant wall of fire cut right down the road, barring them from proceeding any farther.

"...Not necessarily." He kept going forward, passing Reese who had started to turn around. Yang followed with him, still not letting go of his hand as they approached the towering flames. The others all stayed behind, watching curiously for what he would do.

The heat from the fire became almost unbearable when he was finally close enough to touch it. Yang didn't seem to be bothered much, but he was starting to break out in sweat and could feel both hands clamming up. They were also resonating to the Ambiance powering these flames.

Reaching his left hand forward, he stuck it unflinchingly into the fire.

 _Neow_

The whole thing lit up in a white light, black tendrils spreading inside that glow. As those tendrils retracted, so too did the flames and the whole thing vanishing, giving the illusion that his glyphs were somehow absorbing the energy and not destroying it.

In only a second they were gone, leaving them free to continue down the path. As the others approached from behind, Jaune didn't move, instead staring down at his glyph.

"What're you doing?"

"Counting."

When he had been fighting Crocea Mors, his glyphs had been on a twenty-second cooldown each. That was ten seconds faster than what they had been the first two swords. There hadn't been a chance to use the glyphs again after breaking the third blade… but if his math was right-

Fifteen seconds.

After that amount of time, he felt the glyph charge he used renew with energy and once again begin reacted to all the Ambiance clinging to the fire and ice around them. He wasn't mistaken. Every sword he broke ticked five seconds off his glyphs. They were without a doubt getting stronger.

What exactly that meant he could only speculate. It wasn't exactly like anyone had ever done this before. He was the first glyph bearer in history to ever break one sword, let alone three. It was also worth mentioning that this effect hadn't kicked in right away.

Even after he originally broke the second sword he had still been on a thirty-second timer. It wasn't until Crocea Mors had absorbed his glyph charge and attacked him with their combined energy that this started. Something about that event had triggered his glyphs into a state where they were evolving.

There were only four beings left alive in the world that might be able to answer why this was happening… and he was scared of the price they would ask for compensation. It might be better just to forget about it altogether and press on. For now, it didn't seem to be an actual problem and was only beneficial in his battles.

"We going?" Yang prompted, everyone else having already caught up and now looking back at him curiously.

"Yeah, sorry." They all set off again, covering the last little distance to reach his old home. The whole walk was filled with an awkward and tense silence, only the crackling fire providing any sound. It was such a cruel contrast to the last time he had been here. One second, hundreds of people had been laughing and singing his sisters praise. The next and they were screaming as those very girls hunted them down with brutal efficiency.

"Finally! I was wondering when y'all would pop up." Lily had no sense of tension, waving them all over energetically as they turned the last corner and started down the road his house was at the end of.

He couldn't help but smile at the sight of his sister's partner, the huge grin splitting her freckled face being infectious. One hand rested on her hip, Fetch tucked snuggly between her arm. As they approached, she stepped forward and extended a hand towards Arslan who reached her first.

"I see you've got almost an entirely different group with you this time. All girls too… you've been busy." Lily laughed at her own observation and he felt his cheeks heat up. "My name is Lily. I'm Violet's old partner."

"Arslan Altan and my partner Reese Chloris." The platinum-blonde said nothing more than that, stepping aside to let someone else introduce themselves.

"Coco Adel. You probably met my teammate, Yatsuhashi." Coco looked to be inspecting Lily's outfit, which was actually a modified White Fang uniform, despite the fact that she had never been a part of the group. He assumed it had something to do with the fact the faunus she commanded had once been forced to fight under them, so they were repurposing the uniforms to stand for something better.

"Blake." It took Jaune a second to realize that voice had come from slightly behind him and he turned to see Blake practically hiding behind Yang. Was she… afraid of Lily? It couldn't be because of the uniform, right?

"Aww… how cute." Lily's grin suddenly took on a predatory smirk, hunching over as she took a step towards them. "You didn't tell me you were friends with a kitty cat, Jaune."

Oh… he got it now.

"And you wonder why we make cat jokes all the time?" Yang laughed, arm coming around to pat Blake roughly enough on the back to stumble her forward.

"I-I'm not stereotyping anyone! T-this has nothing to do with the fact that you're a dog faunus. I am not a racist."

"I believe the word is hypocrite."

The glare Blake gave Yang was so terrifying it made Jaune shiver just from standing next to her.

"Well, you can relax. I may be part hunting-dog but Golden Retrievers are also known for being pretty friendly." Lily had no problem poking fun of the fact that she actually did share a lot of traits known for the animal she was partly derived from.

"Have Wanda and Rue arrived yet?" He decided to spare Blake any further embarrassment, instead bringing up the reason why they were all here to begin with.

"Yeah. They're here." Lily didn't appear too concerned about that, but he had been hoping to beat them here. "They've already entered your house… it's surprisingly quite intact compared to the rest of the place." His sisters probably didn't have a reason to head there, as it would've been empty. Everyone from the family had been present at the party.

"I tried to convince them to wait but you know how Rue is…" Lily trailed off, not needing to say anything more about the last member of her team.

"Do you think I can convince her not to go through with it?" Jaune asked, starting to make his way forward once again.

"Depends on what they find." If the house was as untouched as Lily's words implied it was, then there was a very good chance they would find the book they were looking for. That was if they knew it when they saw it. His best bet was getting to that book first… and worse case scenario destroying it.

"I see you took my advice by the way." For a second, Jaune wasn't sure what Lily was talking about and it was hard to tell exactly where she was looking with her eyes obscured by the bangs of her hair. When he felt Yang shift her grip on his hand, however, he figured it out.

"Ah… yeah. Turns out you were spot on." Just like she always was. He had no idea how Lily was always able to be so perceptive, even with people she really didn't know.

"That's your house?" Coco ended that sentence with a low whistle, clearly impressed. He glanced at it for the first time in what felt like forever, noticing how large it really was in comparison to most of the other buildings in the village.

"You know it actually always felt a little cramped." Living in it with ten people was hectic at the best of times, not that he was really complaining about that. Life had certainly never been boring inside those walls, that was for sure. What he wouldn't give to have all that back again…

He knew Lily had said it was in decent condition, but it looked even better than he imagined. Really it just looked dirty from the month of neglect and smoke raining constant soot on it. A little tidying up and it wouldn't be impossible to move right back in, although that might be a little lonely without any neighbors.

As if to prove his thoughts about living in it again true, the front door swung open just before they reached the porch.

"Oh my, oh my! If it isn't little Jaune." A shrill voice he recognized well called as Wanda Weigela stepped out, stopping at the edge of the raised platform to look down at him and his assembled team.

She looked exactly like he remembered her. Short pink hair accented by a crown of daisies and bright green eyes filled with a sense of naive mysticism. She was dressed in a simple one-piece dress that was decorated with numerous flower designs… and like always, she seemed averse to the idea of shoes, feet completely bare.

"Greetings everyone. My name is Wanda. It is my utmost pleasure to make all your acquaintance." She topped her introduction off with an elegant curtsey.

Jaune and Lily both tried not to snicker as everyone else stared at Wanda with mouths agape, not knowing at all how to respond to her. He could actually remember having a similar reaction his first time meeting her.

"What is this here? Could you be...?" Wanda didn't wait for a response, skipping down the steps and landing nimbly on the balls of her feet right in front of Yang. With no regard for personal space, she leaned so far forward that their noses practically touched.

To his amusement, Yang actually recoiled slightly in an effort to put some distance between them. Her lilac eyes darted away from Wanda's bright green ones, looking to Jaune desperately for help. He just shook his head, trying to convey that she just put up with it. Wanda used to always try to do the same thing to him. It never lasted long before Violet would wrestle her away.

"You are most beautiful." Wanda also didn't really know how to get embarrassed, even when giving such blunt compliments right into someone's face.

"T-thanks." Yang cleared her throat, teasing smile making a return. "I appreciate it, but I'm already taken."

"Oh I am well aware." Wanda finally took a skip back, twirling around and placing both hands behind her. "You and little Jaune have formed a very powerful bond despite not knowing one another for long. One formed through battle and a familial connection."

"You… got all that from the two of us holding hands?" Yang lifted their interlocking fingers as if for emphasis.

"And here it comes." Lily whispered under her breath, just loud enough for Jaune to hear.

"No I did not." Wanda shook her head matter of factly. No matter how many times he heard the next line, he always loved watching someone else's reaction when they heard it for the first time.

"The fairies told me."

"..."

And Yang's did not disappoint. In fact, the absolutely astounded range of faces on everyone present was almost too much and Jaune's whole body racked as he tried to contain his laughter. He only succeeded because he remembered the last time he laughed after Wanda said that line. He hadn't heard the end of it for hours.

"...The… fairies?" Arslan deadpanned, the first of them able to recover their voices.

"Indeed." The dubious expressions flew miles over Wanda's head as she addressed Arslan with absolute sincerity. "They are most perceptive. Able to sense powerful feelings and emotions and in rare instances even manipulate them."

"..."

"... _okay_ then." Coco's nonchalant disbelief seemed to sum up the exact thoughts everyone else was having. In other words… this girl was freaking nuts.

"So little Jaune, you are here to try and convince us not to look for other ways to use the glyphs?"

"Did the _fairies_ tell you that too?" Yang didn't even try to hide the sarcastic bite. Too bad she really had no idea just how oblivious Wanda was to such concepts.

"Do not be ridiculous. The fairies are not able to read minds."

"No, of course not. That would be crazy." Blake snipped under her breath, earning a giggle from a couple of the other girls.

"Lily is the one who informed me." Wanda corrected, having for better or worse missed Blake's comment and their subsequent reaction. "I would like to assist you, little Jaune. However, it would be much easier if you would let us know as to why you do not want the glyphs replicated. Surely you must understand that more glyphs would make your job easier?"

Damn, he had gotten so caught up in Wanda's pace he had forgotten that he was supposed to be inside and trying to find that book. He needed to somehow drag this conversation out while at the same time make it so they were on the move. Mind already forming some kind of response, his mouth opened halfway before the voice of Violet's last teammate cut him off.

"Save your breath, Jaune." Stepping out from the shadow of the door was Rue Sylvia. Just like Wanda, her appearance hadn't changed much. White hair was braided into looped twintails, connected together on either side of her head by large black bows. Her eyes, as silver as Ruby's, looked down at him with distrust. She was dressed in a gray checkered skirt and an elegant black top.

Most important, held in her hand was a dark purple book. The very one he had been wanted to go inside and look for. The distress must have shown on his face, because Rue smirked while holding it up for him to get a better look at.

"Why don't you just be honest, Jaune? Tell us the real reason you don't want to create more glyphs." Rue's voice was sharp, causing him to flinch involuntarily. Was it possible… did she already know? "Tell us that you don't want to create more glyphs because that means you will be obsolete."

"W-what?" He hadn't expected that. Did Rue… did she think he didn't want to create glyph weapons because he wanted to be the only one that could save his sisters? "That's not it-"

"Then what is it, huh?" Rue cut him off, silver eyes boring into him with such intensity he unconsciously took a half-step back. "If you actually had a valid reason, you would have told us by now or Violet would've mentioned something about it. As big a brother complex as she had, never shut up about you."

"Rue, do not be so mean." Wanda stepped in between them, sparing him further from that terrifying glare.

"At least have the decency to hear Jaune out." Lily agreed, crossing her arms with in a huff.

"Oh please tell me you are not acting this naive, Lily." Rue did not relent, instead turning her ire onto her teammates. "I know you must have thought the same thing as me."

"Lily?" He couldn't help but feel a small tingle of betrayal, seeing his former crush wince guiltily at Rue's declaration. She actually thought… there was a possibility he was only doing this out of the selfish desire to be the hero?

"I'm saying we should hear him out. I've considered several possibilities." Lily said no more than that, turning to look at Jaune for his answer. It was at that moment that he realized the eyes of every single woman present were now on him, even Yang's. Every one of them asking for what this was really about.

He didn't want to die. Surely that wasn't such a bad thing. He didn't think anyone here would want to go through with this, even Rue, if he just told them what the glyphs would do if they tried tampering with their power.

He had to be honest… surely they would understand.

 _Bang_

Just before he could completely resolve himself to make that decision, a different one was made for him. A red streak flew through the air, aiming right at the book in Rue's hands. Ordinarily, her reflexes would've been fast enough to yank it out of the way, but by the time anyone realized what was happening it was too late.

The book flew from her hand, a hole burnt into the side of the cover, before it landed on the grass with a thud several dozen feet away.

"Sorry to steal your spotlight, kid. However, that was dragging on a little long for my tastes. Hope you don't mind if I speed things up a little?" Jaune's eyes widened as he spun to face the source of both the shot and voice.

"Roman Torchwick..." Blake bristled as that name left her mouth, staring at the fashionably dressed orange-haired man with a bowler cap. He held up the tip of a cane to his mouth, blowing away the residual smoke from his recently discharged shot.

"I thought Torchwick died?" The moment those words left Coco's mouth, Jaune understood what was going on, now seeing that faint outline of a dark purple glow around the man.

"Mortem Caligo." He had thought all the spirits it summoned were in Vacuo. Had she already wiped out every single Arc in that kingdom?

"Ah… close but no cigar kid." The undead Roman stuck the tip of his cane into the ground, leaning on it as he grinned cockily at them all. "You see… I'm a little bit different than the other swords. All of them? Their personalities are nice and tidy. They don't get all mixed up by having over a thousand souls battling for supremacy like I do. So they really don't mind taking on new names, those being either the ones your ancestors gave them or the names of their newest hosts. Me? I prefer my original name. The one my creator gave me back when she first ripped away that oh-so-valuable piece of her soul. Makes things nice and easy for me. Reminds me of who I really am."

"He certainly talks like Torchwick alright…" Yang and Blake must have known the man in front of them. He didn't really get it, but apparently Mortem Caligo took on the different personalities of those it killed… and it was now using one of them to talk for it.

"So what _should_ I call you?" The spirit looked absolutely delighted that he would ask, flashing them all with an even bigger grin as he raised his hands wide and took a deep bow.

"You may all refer to me… as Gluttony."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Omake 40**

 _Truth or Dare (Four Siblings Remain)_

* * *

"Big brother, truth or dare?"

Could he please be given a few more moments to recover from that terrifying ordeal before he had to go back to this nightmare game?

No? Okay, then.

"Truth." The word came out as more of a moan as he finally sat back up, rubbing vigorously at his lips with the side of his arm. Where was the soap? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ciel's unconscious form and quickly turned away from it. He was pretty sure it was going to be some time before he was able to look her in the eyes again.

"Did you enjoy your first kiss?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Oh…" Why did she look so disappointed about that!?

You know what… nevermind.

For the sake of sanity he was just going to move on with his turn. There were only two others left anymore and it was starting to look like Amethyst wasn't coming back. She was smart, getting away from all this.

"Joan, truth or dare?"

"Dare." She said without hesitation, trusting him not to put her through anything like what the others would.

"I dare you to sneak into Mom's room and put on her makeup." Now that he thought about it, where were their parents? He knew they were home. At least, he thought they were? They must have been pretty busy if all the commotion they were causing hadn't disturbed them.

Oh well, it probably wasn't anything.

"On it!" Joan nodded before scurrying up the stairs to complete her task.

The front door creaked opened a moment later...

 _Begowk_

...and the peculiar but familiar sound of a chicken rang throughout the house.

"No… freaking… way…" He slowly turned around, just in time to witness Amethyst walk into the room.

She looked like Hell. When she left, she had been clean and fresh, having only just recently showered. Now she was covered in an odd combination of sweat, mud, straw, egg yolks, and… blood(?). Indeed, she was covered in numerous cuts and scratches, her clothing sporting several brand new tears that hadn't been there before. Despite all this, her face was one of indifference as she held what must have been Hillpaw's Prized Chicken over her head.

"I… got it." That was the only thing she managed to say before promptly passing out (presumably from blood loss) a moment later, collapsing face first onto the floor, not even capable of catching herself.

 _Buk Buk Begowk_

The chicken began scurrying around the living room now that it was free from Amethyst's grip.

Just… what the Hell?

 _Creak_

Joan was back already too, foot pressing down on that one squeaky plank as she walked into the living room. He thought for a second she might have come to see the commotion, but that didn't appear to be the case after all.

"Joan?" She didn't even seem to hear him. Her eyes were staring forward but it didn't look like she was seeing anything. She stepped clear over Amethyst's body, not even acknowledging that she was back or had actually brought a chicken with her. When she got closer, he realized she was mumbling something he couldn't quite hear.

"Mom. Dad. Bed. Creaking. Moaning. Babies. Scary." Was all he managed to catch before she curled up into a corner and began rocking back and forth. He had no idea what happened… but she for some reason she failed to complete the dare, which meant she was out.

Which just left…

Him and Rouge.

He slowly turned to see her smiling sweetly at him, not even offering a comment about Joan or Amethyst's bizarre re-entrances. What was it about their family playing truth or dare that just seemed to make all of them chuck common sense out the window? Not like he could talk, having been an active participant.

"Rouge… truth or dare?"

"Truth!"

 _Buk Buk Buk_

"Why the chicken?"

"I like him."

Well, that was a far simpler motive than he thought.

"Okay, Big Brother. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Aren't you cold in that skirt?"

"Yes."

Really, he didn't know why he hadn't taken it off already. This had been for Joan's dare, not his. Oh well.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Are you ever going to pick dare?"

"Nope."

Well, at least she was honest.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

This game would never end if one of them didn't gamble.

"You should probably return the chicken to Mister Hillpaw. Stealing is a crime and I don't want Amethyst to get in trouble." Then why make her steal it in the first place?

"Fine." Sounded easy enough. How quickly he forgot what Amethyst looked like when she walked in. He was reminded of it very quickly, however, when he reached down to pick up the chicken.

 _BEGWOK_

It let out an angry cry, before furious flapping it's wings and flying at his face. "Gah!" His vision was blinded by feathers and flashes of pain. In a panic, he backpedaled, only too late remembering Amethyst had been behind him.

The world fell away as he tripped backwards over her unconscious body.

 _Thud_

* * *

"Big Brother? Are you okay?" Rouge poked Jaune in the cheek but he gave no reaction. His eyes were closed shut and he had fresh talon marks on his cheeks, from where the chicken had pierced his Aura.

"Does this mean I win?" Rouge stood up and looked around the room.

The only responses she got were Joan's unintelligible gibbering and Olivia's wretches from the toilet.

She would take that as a yes then.

That meant, as the winner, she deserved some pudding.

Certainly Joan would understand.

* * *

"...Rouge?"

"Hello mother!" Her youngest turned away from the tv, which was just now playing the opening to the latest episode of Pokemon. Placed in her mouth was a spoonful of Joan's personal pudding.

As their mother, she hadn't been sure what to expect when she came down after hearing only small snippets of their ruckus. Of course she had been foolish enough to listen to her husband.

There's eight of them, he said. They're going to be loud, he said. All the better so they won't hear us, he said.

This was far more disastrous than anything she could have imagined.

There was a hole in the roof.

Located beneath said hole and surrounded by broken pieces of wood and tile was the first of several unconscious children, Autumn.

Her favorite vase was shattered into pieces along with the stool it once sat on.

Ciel was laying on the ground on her head and upper back, butt hanging in the air and legs folded down so the toes of her feet touched her open palms.

Violet laid down just behind her, equally unmoving.

Amethyst was face first on the floor, dripping all kinds of mud, yolk, and what looked like blood onto it.

Jaune was spread eagle over her and wearing his twin's skirt… with what appeared to be a pet chicken she didn't know they had sleeping soundly on his chest.

Joan sat in the corner wearing her twin's clothes, rocking back and forth in the fetal position while mumbling incoherently.

Olivia could be heard puking in the bathroom.

And in the middle of all this, sat Rouge.

Just innocently watching tv with a cup of pudding in hand and an empty bottle of whiskey on the table in front of her.

"Let me guess… truth or dare?"

"Yep."

"Figured." It was an Arc curse. One apparently her husband and his brothers had also gone through. They just didn't know how to call it quits in that game, and no matter what they always obeyed every command until the end. And by the end she meant last Arc standing.

Well, there was only one thing left to do in this situation.

"Does Joan have any more pudding left in the fridge?"

* * *

 **Truth or Dare Final Status List**

 **Rouge: Winner**

 **Autumn: Inactive (Fell through the roof performing a cartwheel)**

 **Jaune: Inactive (Defeated by Hillpaw's prized chicken)**

 **Joan: Inactive (Has seen what cannot be unseen)**

 **Olivia: Inactive (Puking uncontrollably)**

 **Ciel: Inactive (Suplexed for making out with her younger brother)**

 **Amethyst: Inactive (Defeated by Hillpaw's prized chicken)**

 **Violet: Inactive (Knocked herself out performing a drunken suplex)**


	47. The Seven Deadly Sins

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Sprectrum**

 _The Seven Deadly Sins_

* * *

"Gluttony…?"

That sounded less like a name and more of an insult to Yang. If someone had the gall to call her a glutton she'd probably punch their lights out.

Roman Torchwick, or the current personification of Mortem Caligo, didn't seem to think so at all, nodding exaggeratedly and replying to her with a sarcastic bite.

"That's right, you catch on quick. I am Gluttony, at your service."

"So…" Blake didn't look quite so convinced, hand resting on the hilt of Gambol Shroud and looking prepared to jump at him if he gave her even the slightest reason. "...You're saying that the person we're talking to is not Roman Torchwick?"

"The answer to that question is a little more complicated than a simple yes or no, kitty." Blake bristled at the derogatory nickname, an old favorite of Roman's. "For all intents and purposes, the Roman Torchwick you knew is dead and gone. When I split his skull open, he ceased to be a single soul with free will and was instead added to the collection that makes up the personality that once only consisted of Noir's gluttony."

"So let me get this straight." Yang nodded to Jaune, stepping in front of him in order to buy him time to find the actual real Mortem Caligo and not just this spirit it had summoned. She didn't know if it was really even here but if it was, Jaune's glyphs should be able to find it. Until then… she just had to keep this Roman-lookalike talking.

"The thing we're talking to right now is actually the scythe being wielded by Jaune's sister? Cause I find that kind of hard to believe after the last time we met." Unlike the rest of the swords, Amethyst hadn't talked at all, instead only silently obeying any order given out by Violet.

"Ah yes… I can see why you'd be confused, blondie." She didn't really know how it was possible, but the undead Roman pulled a cigar from the lining of his jacket and lit it. "It's just better to think of it this way; I don't work on the same principles as the other swords. Instead of talking through the host body, otherwise known as Amethyst, I can only communicate through the souls I summon."

"Alright, that's enough!" Rue hopped down from the porch, a double-barreled shotgun drawn and pointed right at their enemy. "What are you doing here? I'm guessing it's not just to talk and tell us all about yourself."

"Well, well, well, aren't you a rather perceptive one." Roman chuckled, once again sticking his cane into the ground and leaning on it with both hands. "I like your spunk, though. That's right. I'm not just hanging around here to chat and have a good time… I'm here to protect _that_." He rolled the cigar in his mouth, using it to point at the fallen book he had previously shot out of Rue's hand.

"The book? Why?" Rue glanced back at it and Yang even felt her eyes drawn to its cover. It looked to still be okay, only the front having been damaged, all of the actual contents likely unmarred by that shot.

"Pride's orders. She is _very_ interested in making sure nothing happens to our favorite glyph-wielding, sword-shattering, champion." Yang couldn't say for sure, but she would bet any sum of lien that Pride was that katana's original name.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Lily seemed interested in a different aspect of Roman's statement. "Is someone discovering that book dangerous for Jaune?" Yang once again glanced back at him but he was either too distracted sensing for the scythe or was deliberately avoiding her gaze.

"The answer to your question is fascinating!" Roman pushed off his cane, spinning it around and strutting sideways with long, deliberate steps. "Unfortunately, I've already bought all the time I needed."

Jaune's head jerked up, blue eyes widening in panic.

"Rue! Get away from the house!"

 _Shoom_

Yang felt the explosion well before she saw it. The very air shifted and pulsed as a wave of heat so hot it scorched the grass they were standing on rolled over them. All the windows in the house flared brightly before the whole wooden structure expanded, inflating like a balloon.

A second later and it all went up in flames, the second shockwave bowling her off her feet. Although, it could have also been the arm that wrapped around her waist, tackling her to the ground.

For a moment she thought it had been Jaune that had attempted to shield her from the blast. When she looked over, instead she found it was Rue who had grabbed her and Jaune as well, somehow crossing that distance faster than the explosion and dragging them both to safety.

Orange flames and black smoke licked the air above them. Had they been standing, even with Aura and Yang's own heat-based Semblance, she had a feeling she would've been toast.

"Blake…" Yang's voice croaked, suddenly aware of how dry it was, almost all the moisture in the air having been evaporated.

"She's fine." Lily remained standing next to them, having pulled Arslan close and hiding behind a giant wall of ice Fetch produced, almost the entire structure completely melted.

"Wanda's got everyone else covered." Rue pushed off the ground, silver eyes trailing to where her partner was. Yang followed that gaze and when she saw everyone else, her mouth fell open.

"Are those…" Blake, Coco, and Reese sat on their butts, staring up in just as much disbelief as Yang felt. Wanda stood in front of the three for them, long metallic staff drawn and planted in the ground where she had taken a protective stance.

And floating just in front of her, fluttering through the air and forming some kind of barrier were hundreds of little light-green creatures.

"Fairies." Jaune gave a ragged cough, accepting a hand from Rue as she hoisted him to his feet.

"Not so crazy now, is she?" Lily chuckled at all their astonished expressions.

"Wanda's Semblance allows her to see into these faeries' plane of existence and even briefly materialize them into our own." Rue checked her shotgun, clicking it open to make sure it was loaded before latching it back shut. "Forming a barrier like that is the least impressive of their abilities."

"Wait… so you're saying-"

"Wanda doesn't create the fairies." Jaune already knew the rest of her question. "They're very real. She just asks them for help and if they agree, provides them a means to cross the boundary between their plane to ours."

"Well way to make me feel like a real bitch." Yang definitely owed Wanda an apology for thinking she was nuts and making fun of her. She almost complained about the fact that no one had bothered to explain all this beforehand but really, she wouldn't have believed them if she hadn't seen it for herself first so that was a mute point.

"Oh! Not bad, not bad at all!" Further conversation between them was interrupted as two figures stepped forth from the blazing inferno that had once been Jaune's home. The first of them was Jaune's sister, Amethyst, stalking forward with a blank expression on her face and scythe slung over her shoulder.

Next to her was possibly the hottest guy Yang had ever seen in her life. Messy black hair, a smooth freckled face, ripped abs that would make Sun jealous, and at least several tattoos, one on his arm looking like it spelled out ASCE.

"Allow me to introduce you!" Roman materialized out of thin air right next to the two new arrivals, gesturing exaggeratedly to the man Yang was just checking out.

"A couple centuries ago and life on the high seas was a dangerous affair, namely do to loathsome pirate activities. This here was the second in command of the biggest and most notorious group of these pirates. Renowned for his incredible Semblance that literally allowed him to transform into fire, he was even able to give Lust a run for her money. Give it up for… 'Firefist' Ace!" Roman shouted this loudly before leaning forward and holding an arm against his mouth as if to whisper a secret.

"At least that was what he was called before he became just another soul for me, Gluttony."

"Could you pick a less obnoxious persona to speak through already?" Rue grumbled, taking a protective sidestep in between Jaune and his sister. "And I thought you were done buying for time?"

"I am." Roman continued to be the one doing all the talking, not bothering to alternate to the other summoned spirit. "You'll forgive me if I'm not too eager to charge in and get destroyed by glyph-boy-wonder behind you there, yeah?"

"What's the play here, Rue?" Lily peeked around what was left of her ice wall, bouncing Fetch between both hands as she tensed for battle.

"There's really only one thing we can do." Rue glanced back at Jaune, silver eyes studying him for a brief second. "I don't know how many souls Gluttony can still summon or how many are still over in Vacuo, but Jaune is the only one that can land a decisive blow. That means it's our job to cut a path through for him."

"You've changed your tune pretty quick." Yang noted snidely, clicking Ember Celica into active mode. "You were ready to replace Jaune a second ago and now you're going to rely on him?"

"I'm just being practical. In case you haven't noticed, we didn't get a chance to create any glyph weapons so this is our only option." Rue shot back, looped twintails bouncing as she turned on Yang. "We still don't know what's so important about that book that it would post a guard over here and then come personally to protect it."

"I'll die."

"...What?" Yang wasn't even sure who it was that asked that, nearly every eye turning to Jaune, most of them not even sure if they heard him properly over the roaring flames all around them. He first looked at her, giving an apologetic smile before his eyes hardened in resolve and he turned to face Rue.

"The glyphs kill their former wielders if you inscribe them onto someone new. So if you try and make weapons out of the glyphs... I will die. There can only ever be one glyph wielder at a time. That's just the way it is."

Yang's mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to process what it was Jaune just said. There was no way… was he being serious? Those glyphs had already taken everything else away from him yet eventually they were even going to take his life too?

Before she or anyone else could respond, Rue simply clicked her teeth in irritation.

"You should've said something like that in the first place. Violet would kill me if I let something happen to you just to save her." Just like that, she took his word for it and didn't even seem to bat an eyelash at all the greater implications it had. "Now if the rest of you are done with being stunned useless, we've got a job to do."

"As inspirational as ever." Lily chuckled, shaking her head. "Guess we'll have to talk about the rest of this later."

"Good, good! Cause if y'all are done with your little group meeting, I would like to introduce some more personalities of myself to you." Roman grinned cheekily, spinning his cane around before pointing it in the air above them. "Starting with the lovely lady, Annie Leonhart!"

Yang spun around, already swinging her fists at the person she heard sailing through the air. Ember Celica discharged two blasts, but all her Dust was effortlessly sliced aside by a blonde girl in a brown jacket, wielding two sharp blades connected to a series of canisters around her hip. The newest soul landed nimbly on the ground a dozen feet away, right next to two others Yang hadn't even realized were behind them until right this moment.

"You kids are probably a little young to remember the grievous betrayal committed by young Annie leading to her eventually being hunted down and killed by yours truly. You see, she was once part of the Council of Vale's personal guard. Until one day she defected, going undercover on a mission with Vale's most elite expansion team. On the road outside the kingdom she slaughtered almost all of them and the expansion ended up a failure."

Roman finished with Annie's introduction and then pointed to the tall man just to her left. This one was also shirtless with spiky brown hair, some kind of headband, and wrappings covering the lower part of his face and neck. Most notable was the massive sword slung over his shoulder.

"As I recall, my good pal Blake over there was quite into ninjas, so here's your chance to meet a real live one! Formerly known as the Demon of the Bloody Mist, Zabuza Momochi here was a silent assassin for hire, usually using his versatile set of skills to murder other humans instead of using his talents on the Grimm. He's not the only one, however, if you'll turn your attention to the sexy woman next to him."

To Yang's annoyance, her gaze did as Roman instructed and shifted to a woman so curvy that even she felt a little inadequate comparing their figures. This woman had no qualms showing off those curves with her scantily clad, skin-tight outfit that left nothing to the imagination. In either hand were two curved daggers and she had beautiful black hair with one side tied into a long tail.

"Elsa Granhiert. Known in her home country of Atlas as the infamous 'Bowel Hunter.' As her nickname implies she had the lovely habit of murdering her opponents by slicing open their guts and let me tell you was it a most gruesome sight to behold. Although if you find yourself on the wrong end of her blades you might learn that yourself."

Well this looked like fun. On one side they had three super-assassins… and on the other they had a megalomaniac who wouldn't shut up, a guy that could turn himself into fire, and the scythe that had summoned them all, perhaps even more. What the heck were they supposed to do now?

"We're breaking up into two teams." Rue answered her unasked question, already coming up with a strategy. "Wanda, Jaune, and that girl with the beret, come with me. We're going after the scythe directly. Lily, you take command of everything else on this end. Don't let any of those spirits sneak up on us."

"Got it!" Jaune, Lily, and Wanda accepted Rue's commands without a second thought. Yang glanced at Blake out of the corner of her eye to see her partner nod. It made sense to let one of the older Huntresses take point here and Jaune had no complaints, so it looked like that was what they were going with.

"Good luck." Jaune patted her on the shoulder, turning to face his sister and the scythe.

"Save it all for yourself." Yang gave him a cocky grin back. "Break the scythe and all the spirits should disappear. Our side just needs to hold out until then." And when he got done with that they were going to have another discussion about him and all his damn secrets.

He gave her one last nod before taking off, Rue running right next to him. Wanda and Coco were after them a second later. Which just left her, Blake, Reese, Arslan, and Lily to face the three spirits in front of them.

"Alright then!" Yang cracked her knuckles, stepping forward and ready to fight. "I call dibs on the blonde."

* * *

This was not going how he planned at all.

The point of this trip was not to fight any of his sisters… otherwise, he would've brought way more backup than just this. Now he had no choice but to make do with what he had. Fortunately, his current team consisted of three full-fledged Huntresses and for once he was only facing off against one sister… although she had the strength of an army behind her.

"Jaune, can you take care of the fire?" He nodded to Rue's question, not seeing any reason why he couldn't. These flames were created by the power of one of Gluttony's summons so it stood to reason everything they did was generated by Ambience.

 _Neow_

Sticking his hand into the nearest flame, the whole burning pyre flashed in a bright light before shattering apart and vanishing, leaving only smoldering embers on the outskirts behind. So much for one day being able to return to his old house, only a smoking crater left where it had once been.

He had thought he was done dealing with fire-based attacks after defeating Fia Vesta but this spirit that had been summoned seemed capable of generating flames on the same scale. That spirit which Roman had referred to as Ace stepped forward, hand transforming into a ball of fire.

"Hey Beret!" Rue referred to Coco, having not actually learned her name. "Think you can distract the fire user?"

"Leave it to me." Coco skid to a stop, the bag on her shoulder unfolding to transform into a massive minigun. The barrel roared to life, spinning rapidly before it began discharging a barrage of bullets that immediately mowed down the fire spirit. At least it looked too, blasting apart his upper torso before it reformed a second later, materializing for a brief moment in the shape of flames.

"Tch, it's never that easy." Rue growled in frustration, glancing once more at Jaune. "I'm going to get in close and attempt to split the spirits hanging around the scythe away from it. You and Wanda figure out the rest."

She didn't give either of them a chance to respond, looking forward and closing her right eye shut in preparation to activate her semblance. Jaune didn't understand it exactly, but Rue could essentially teleport to a place within eyesight. Her special ability appeared to work on the same principle as his glyphs in that she had one charge for each eye that had separate cooldowns.

In a blink she was gone, appearing suddenly in the air above and behind Roman and his sister, the twin barrels of her shotgun pointed at the former.

 _Bang_

Red dust scattered from the end of the gun, but none of it ever made it to the intended target. Instead the tip of Amethyst's scythe glowed a dark purple before a multi-haired girl shifted into existence, brandishing an open umbrella that she used to shield him.

"Sneak attacks aren't going to work on me, sweetheart. I have eyes everywhere!" Roman didn't even turn around to address Rue. "This here is the lovely Neapolitan. Once Roman's personal bodyguard, now the two of them are as one thanks to being a part of me."

The umbrella snapped shut, a small blade poking out the tip. Neapolitan lunged at Rue, who twisted out of the way, landing in a crouch. Instead of reloading her shotgun, she hit the shifting mechanism, the barrels folding shut and the whole thing splitting in half as it formed two separate short-swords.

With a loud clang, one sword clashed with the bladed tip of the umbrella and the two of them engaged in close-quarter combat that quickly dragged them away from Roman and the scythe. Meanwhile, Firefist Ace had started moving, leaving a trail of flames in his wake as he charged Coco who had quit firing to allow her gun to cool down.

As Jaune and Wanda closed in on the scythe it began glowing a dark purple again, signalling the arrival of yet another spirit. This time a blue-haired man in equally blue tights leapt out from the scythe, brandishing a long red spear.

"This here is a man who earned the title of Lancer. His skill with his weapon was unparalleled-"

 _Clang_

Roman's voice was cut off by the resounding clash of metal against metal, Lancer's spear striking Wanda's staff. Driving the tip of his spear into the ground, Wanda's barefoot lashed out in a kick that caught Lancer in the ribs and stumbled him backwards.

Taking a quick backpedal herself, Wanda hit a switch on her staff, the whole thing folding into itself and retracting into a small flute. She raised the flute to her mouth and played a simple verse, green fairies of light warping into existence all around them.

Jaune watched in fascination as the flute began expelling what looked like a cloud of blue dust residue. The summoned fairies flew through the cloud, transforming their nature and turning them blue before they charged into Lancer. Upon contact, the fairies left chunks of ice that clung to Lancer and weighed him down, some of them freezing his feet to the earth.

"Little Jaune, if you would please." He didn't need to be told twice, lunging forward and touching the spirit with an outstretched hand.

 _Neow_

Just like with anything else created by the swords, the man once known as Lancer ceased to exist, Jaune destroying the part of his soul bound to Gluttony's curse.

"You killed Lancer!"

"You aren't human!"

Roman shouted first, followed shortly by the voice of Ace from behind them, Gluttony switching personas just long enough for that sole quip.

"You're next…" Jaune growled, lunging for the annoying personality that Gluttony seemed so keen to continue speaking through.

"Nuh, uh, uh. To get to me… you'll have to go through her!"

Jaune stopped short, hand outstretched and just shy of coming into contact with the newest spirit summoned in front of him. This one a beautiful girl only a little older than him with long grey hair. In her hand was a simple short-sword, the hilt and crossguard in the shape of a violin.

"Ally…" Jaune's hesitation cost him, the girl raising her sword and swinging it down right overtop his head.

"Jaune!" In a panic, Wanda dropped the prefix she always added to the front of his name, a dozen fairies wrapping around and snatching him backwards. It wasn't until he fell into Wanda that he finally realized he had frozen up and nearly just gotten himself killed.

"This must be quite the shock to you?" The harmonic, gentle voice of the girl spoke now, hers providing a sharp contrast to Roman's annoying banter. "Seeing your sister's old partner and lover again like this?"

"Shut up…" Jaune growled under his breath, blue eyes glaring holes into the scythe that rested on Amethyst's shoulders. "You have no right use her voice."

"I do not understand… how is this possible?" It took Wanda a moment longer, but even she now recognized who it was that Gluttony just had the audacity to call upon.

"Oh my, you mean you don't know?" Gluttony switched back to Roman, who clapped his hands as if elated. "How wonderful… oh, which one of us should tell her, Glyphy? Do you want the honors or should I?"

"I thought I told you to shut the Hell up!" If Wanda had not still been holding him he might have charged forward without a second thought.

"Guess I'll do it then." Roman sauntered up next to the grey-haired woman, leaning dramatically on her shoulder. "Allegretta Cross here was tragically murdered during Beacon's graduation exam… betrayed by the woman she loved and stabbed right through the heart! The irony of that!"

"That's a damn lie!" Jaune turned to Wanda, looking into her bright green eyes in order to try and convince her that wasn't the truth. "You have to believe me, Amethyst didn't betray her. Ally was already dying and asked her-"

"Whose word are you going to believe?" Roman cut him off with a loud bark of laughter. "You expect your sister to tell you the truth about what happened? She couldn't bear the thought of having you look up to her in fear and loathing like her other two teammates had come to… but the truth is she killed Allegretta for the simple fact that she was terrified of losing her."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Jaune pushed himself away from Wanda, this time fully intent on charging the scythe directly. He would shatter it into thousands of tiny pieces and make sure it never told a lie or used the woman his sister loved to harm anyone again.

Before he could do just that, Wanda's arms wrapped around and pulled him into a tight hug.

"It is okay, Little Jaune. I believe you." She whispered this soothingly into his ear. "I may not know Amethyst as well as you, but I do know Violet. And Violet had absolute faith in her younger sister, so I shall as well."

"...Wanda." Jaune gave a long shaky breath, feeling himself relax in her grip and the blinding rage creep out from the edges of his vision. He had no idea what he was about to do in that state, but no doubt it would've been playing right into Gluttony's hand.

"Ah… how boring." Roman gave an exaggerated sigh, pushing off Allegretta and pacing once more back towards his sister. "Since you refused to get captured like a good little pawn, I have something else you can do for me."

Captured? That explained why the scythe had come here personally now. If it had simply been to destroy the book so he wouldn't get killed, then Roman would've been enough. The only reason Gluttony would risk exposing herself to danger was because she needed to get him.

If the swords had him out of the way, they could march on Beacon without fear to kill his sisters. Although he still didn't understand why they just didn't kill him. This seemed like far more trouble than what it was worth.

"Tell me, Glyphy. Do you know the Seven Deadly Sins?"

"You mean like the one you're named after?" He supposed it was appropriate, considering that the scythe essentially consumed the soul of whoever it killed.

"Exactly." Roman paused long enough to point the tip of his cane at Jaune. "It is not just me. All us swords were named after a sin. In particular, we were named after the one that Noir used to power our abilities when she severed a fragment of her soul. For me, that was Gluttony."

"What's your point?" Jaune considered for a brief moment that it was trying to buy for time again. Almost everyone else was busy fighting right now while he just stood around and chatted with this thing.

"I'm getting there, don't get your panties all in a bunch." Roman dismissed him with a nonchalant wave of the hand. "Ostrum Tempus was created from Noir's pride; the strongest of all Noir's sins. So it's no wonder the rest of us have to fall in line and obey her." Was it coincidence that their strongest sister had bonded with the strongest sword? He couldn't help but feel like it must have chosen her for a reason.

"None of us are more guilty of this than Sloth, or as you probably know her; Glacies Inferno. Of course, this is only because she's too lazy to make any actual decisions for herself." Ciel's dagger _had_ done a pretty lousy job of keeping him and the other swords from clashing, now that he thought about it.

"The real problem actually began the first night we took over. Lust got perhaps a little… too excited and you ended up having to stop her before you and Pride could have a proper chat. That's what really screwed everything up." He was starting to see now what Gluttony meant when it talked about the other swords. Rouge had appeared absolutely enthralled by the flames while wielding her rapier… not caring for much else. "Then the other three defected, which really, what can you expect from the personification of sins? They're bound to be a little selfish."

While he still didn't see where Gluttony was going with this… he had an idea which sin was what now.

"Autumn's gauntlets said something about hating to share so… Greed?" Why he was even guessing he didn't know.

"Ding, ding! Only two left… fifty-fifty chance, Glyphy." And apparently Gluttony had decided to turn this into a game.

"What do I get if I get it right?"

"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise now." Roman leaned forward and winked, grin turning absolutely maniacal.

"Crocea Mors… had to have been Wrath." Of all the swords, that one had been the most spiteful, so much so he didn't even recognize a trace of his sister while it was controlling her.

"Spectacular!" Roman threw his hands in the air before then gesturing to Amethyst and the scythe. A dark purple portal had opened up next to it... and falling out from that portal was Olivia. "Which just leaves Envy!"

His green-haired sister hit the ground on her knees, hands tied together by a rope and mouth gagged with a tight cloth. The giant claymore he formerly knew as Viridis Teresa fell from the portal a second later, the tip of the blade burrowing into the ground next to her.

"...What the Hell?" He had no idea what to make of this, but Gluttony seemed to realize that, Roman already shaking his head and making light tsking noises.

"You asked what your prize was… and here it is!" Roman skipped over to Olivia, crouching down to poke her cheek with his cane. "Envy here thought to betray us after Pride so generously gave her a second chance."

"So then…"

Gluttony couldn't be suggesting…

"She's all yours to break into thousands of tiny little pieces! After all…" Roman's face darkened, all humor leaving his voice and grin sending a shiver up Jaune's spine.

"We have no need for a traitor."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Alrighty, so this is going to be pretty long as I got plenty of stuff to cover.

So first off, the swords and which sin they were. I did try to base the abilities of the weapons on the sin, although I can see sometimes how certain abilities could look like a couple different sins. For instance, Fia Vesta was Lust and its fire ability was meant to represent the "fiery" passionate feeling of lust, but I can totally see how fire also sounds like Wrath.

The way the sisters acted while being possessed by the swords was also supposed to be a clue. Such as Ciel being lazy and not ever wanting to fight or do anything. Not to be confused with the Ciel pre-possession, such as in the omakes. Actual Ciel isn't lazy at all and rather hyperactive, so the sins have no reflection on his actual sisters, just the sacred swords.

Anyways, so for the record these are the swords to sins, in case I wasn't clear enough or it was confusing in the story:

Rouge's Rapier; Fia Vesta: Lust  
Autumn's Gauntlet's; Luteus Oblido: Greed  
Joan's sword and shield; Crocea Mors: Wrath  
Olivia's Claymore; Viridis Teresa: Envy  
Ciel's Dagger; Glacies Inferno: Sloth  
Amethyst's Scythe; Mortem Caligo: Gluttony  
Violet's Katana; Ostrum Tempus: Pride

Moving on now to all of the summons. I would like to ask if it was clear that Gluttony was always the one talking, however, she was using Roman's personality for the majority of it? So while it was Roman being used to talk, it was always really the scythe. All the summons have this kind of hivemind deal going on, I suppose is the easiest way to describe it.

Like I said in the last AN, I'm using characters from different anime for Gluttony's summons. Normally, I tend to hate it when others do things like this in a story that's not labeled a cross-over... so I tried to keep them all to a brief paragraph to try and explain why they fit into this world... but I feel really 'eh' about it and won't even blame anyone if they skipped over that bit.

Those characters will fight a little but I'm going to try and keep those encounters short as well, focusing more on Jaune and the actual fight that matters. I do have some characterization to get through with Yang and want to actually make use of Reese and Arslan fighting, however, so like I said... a little of those other fights.

Anywho, onto where those characters came from:

The first one introduced is Portgas D Ace from the Manga/Anime, One Piece.

Then there was Annie Leonhart from the Manga/Anime, Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin).

Zabuza Momochi from the Manga/Anime, Naruto.

Elsa Granhiert from the Web Novel/Light Novel/Anime, Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (The anime is running this season and seriously, check it out. It's amazing. Jefardi seconds this recommendation).

And finally, Lancer from the Visual Novel, Fate/Stay Night (although, if we're being real I actually used the Lancer from Carnival Phantasm, because it was too good not to).

If I'm being honest, Allegretta Cross, the OC that was Amy's partner, is actually just a genberbent version of Allegretto from the JRPG, Eternal Sonata.

I tried to pick characters from other shows that were either evil or could be seen as evil (Ace is a good guy to the readers but in-universe, pirates are technically considered evil), because it made it easier to come up with a reason for why they would be hunted down by a scythe that was until current events in the story, being used for good. I also, despite borrowing mostly from anime, tried to pick characters that didn't have Japanese names (Zabuza being an exception so I could get in a shameless Blake likes ninjas joke) and obviously most of their names don't match the color scheme, so I guess most of these characters were killed before that color war so it doesn't apply to them.

Speaking of characters like Zabuza, his Semblance in this for instance is going to be his mist technique, but that means he won't have available to him all those Suiton Jutsu he could use because there's just no way to then logically come up with a reason for him to be able to do that (I guess Dust, but I'm not going to focus enough on him as a character for that to even matter. He's more of just a named mook). That applies to all of them summoned in that they'll only get their main ability by changing it into a Semblance but most of their secondary powers just won't have a place.

Otherwise, this chapter: Wanda and Rue did some stuff. Jaune's house is gone. It was revealed that Amethyst murdered her partner. And Envy is in trouble.

Whoo... I think... that's everything?

This omake was requested by Cormag Ravenstaff, who wanted to see some more Amethyst.

* * *

 **Omake 41**

 _Graduation_

* * *

"You going to join the party? It's being thrown for you, after all."

"..." Amethyst cracked a single red eye open, glancing at her father who had just sat down on the bench next to her. In front of them was a giant tent where her whole family as well as a slew of other relatives were gathered. All here to celebrate her graduation from Beacon Academy.

She thought about maybe ignoring him, pretending that she couldn't hear him over the sound of her music.

"I don't much feel like celebrating right now." For some reason that she couldn't explain, she did the opposite and responded, pulling the headphones off her ears to let them hang around the back of her neck.

Maybe it was because she was just sick of everyone trying to get her to open up? Her father certainly hadn't been the first to try and she doubted he would be the last. If anything, he should be the one she least wanted to talk to about this. There was no way he could understand what it was she was feeling, he who was so caught up in honoring their family's past and traditions.

"You must know that what happened during the exam wasn't your fault." It was that same terrible line over and over again.

If she had been a proper leader and took care of her team, Allegretta wouldn't have… she wouldn't be what she was now.

"Those words sound pretty hollow from a man who never let anyone on his team die." She didn't even try to hide the spite in her tone, as if trying to drive him away with that alone.

"I've lost comrades on the battlefield before. Some of them directly under my command." It didn't work at all, instead her father looked forward, eyes glazing over as he considered the past. "True, none of them were my teammates at Beacon, but I do understand how it is you feel."

"You don't understand anything!" She hollered, jumping to her feet in an effort to place some distance between them, if only to prevent herself from trying to punch him. "Ally was more than just my teammate! She was my…" Her voice trailed off, unable to say it.

Unable to tell her father what she really was.

The only two members of her family she had ever been able to trust with that information were Jaune and Violet. They were the only ones that really understood what it was she was going through.

"You loved her. I know." At least that was what she thought.

"Wha…?" Her brain tried to process that information. Acknowledge what it was her father had just said. That he knew. "Y-You know that I'm…"

"Gay? Yes." He shrugged nonchalantly, as if it wasn't some big secret she had been hiding from him her entire life. "Please, you didn't exactly hide it well. Don't you remember that one time I ended up taking the fall for Jaune's sudden porn collection? I know he got those from you."

"A-And you're not… mad?" This was not how she pictured this conversation going at all. She always thought one day her feelings would be accidently discovered and in a fit of rage he would disown her and she would be kicked out of their house for good.

Instead, all she got was a drunken snort, her father taking a swig from a half-empty beer bottle before shaking his head.

"I know I must come across as a stubborn old fool most times… and I know you and Violet still haven't forgiven me for what I did to your brother. I suppose it only makes sense that you would assume the worst of me." He paused to give a long and tired sigh. "But you are all my children. No matter what choices you make or how much you come to hate me… I will always love you. Each and every single one of you."

"Dad…"

Just what the Hell? She had been deluding herself this whole time into thinking she didn't give a damn what her father thought about her and her sexual preference. She kept telling herself she couldn't care less which was why she never told him.

Hearing those words from him now though… she knew how wrong that was. She had been afraid he would reject her, afraid to lose the love of a person she told herself over and over again that she hated.

Her vision blurred out of focus and it wasn't until a choked sob worked its way past her mouth that she realized it was because of tears. Damn it, she couldn't do this now. She'd been trying so hard not to cry that to finally lose that battle now…

"It's okay." A strong hand pressed down on the top of her head, matting her indigo hair and pushing her face into the nook of his shoulder. "Everything will be alright. Things might be hard right now… but you've got all your siblings there for you."

"Yeah… I know." Amethyst's voice cracked and was muffled by speaking into the fabric of her father's shirt, making it almost impossible to know what she said even to herself. Talking about her siblings made her want to see them.

To stand next to Violet and draw courage from her overwhelming strength. Banter with Ciel and maybe even laugh at her stupid jokes. Tick Olivia off by pretending to ignore her. Pick on Jaune and his crush on Lily with Joan. Talk about music with Autumn. Or to even just sit down and not have to worry about anything with Rouge.

"So you'll come back to the party then?" Her father must have felt her start to smile into his shirt, the thought of all her siblings working at subsided her sobs into occasional snivels. She didn't answer him for several minutes, trying to bring her body back under control and only pulling away to wipe her eyes when she was sure no more tears would come.

"...I guess I should." Her voice was still a little raw and eyes probably still red from crying. Although she had a feeling none of her siblings would judge her for that. It was just kind of how they were.

"That's my girl." He threw a hand over her shoulder, patting it roughly as he began to lead her back towards the tent. She allowed it, for the first time in years not shrinking away from the physical contact of her family.

"Dad." She called out just before he could pull back the flap to let them inside. Curiously, he glanced at her out of the corner of one eye. When she was sure he was looking she smiled at him. Not that fake, forced smile she always pretended to have at the dinner table, but a real genuine one from the bottom of her heart.

"Thank you."


	48. Disarming

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Disarming_

* * *

"Wonderful! How Wonderful!" Elsa Granhiert grinned lasciviously, the blades of her daggers crumbling apart after having clashed with Fetch one too many times.

"Normally I would be happy to see such enthusiasm in a fight… but it feels a little hollow coming from someone who's been dead for several centuries." It's not like Lily's opponent actually had to be afraid of dying.

In fact, Lily was starting to wonder if she could kill her at all. Every time her attack finally met flesh, the scantily clad woman would crumble apart only to reform a few seconds later, including her weapons.

"You shouldn't think of the Bowel Hunter as dead… she's still alive. Just as another part of Gluttony." A purple glow surrounded the broken daggers before once again they repaired themselves. The beautiful woman than crouched low, spreading her arms wide in preparation for battle once again.

"Well… at least you're not boring." Lily bounced Fetch in the air, the white ball sailing several feet above her head before beginning its arc down. The moment it fell in front of her she stepped forward, elbow striking it with practiced precision.

The orb rocketed forward, closing the distance between her and Elsa in under a second.

 _Clang_

"Is that your only trick, puppy?" Elsa deflected the orb, skipping it into the air.

"Pretty much, yeah." Which is exactly where Lily already was, having predicted the direction Fetch would be reflected in. Spinning around she delivered a powerful kick that sent the orb back down. It hit the ground at Elsa's feet and ricocheted up, aiming for her chin.

 _Clack_

And then she caught both of Elsa's daggers between the stilts of her boots, keeping the undead woman from being able to defend. Fetch mercilessly blasted its target in the face, tearing that and her whole upper torso into purple wisps.

"By the way-" Lily landed on the ground, the arms and daggers falling uselessly without the shoulders there to support them. "You really shouldn't make the way you regenerate so obvious."

A small purple orb the size of a human heart remained floating in the place that had once been Elsa's brain. Lily had seen these orbs before. They materialized every time a spirit came or left Gluttony's blade. And it was always that orb the regeneration started from.

Lily hopped up and brought her foot high, catching the orb with the sharp stilt of her boot. The whole thing cracked and whistled, letting out blasts of purple smoke before with an almost ear-shattering pulse it broke apart into dozens of tiny pieces.

The remaining part of Elsa's body eroded away, vanishing eerily similar to the same way Grimm did when they were killed.

* * *

Blake's cat ears twitched, trying to locate any sign of her opponent.

The dark was one thing… but her enhanced faunus vision was useless in this thick mist that had appeared out of nowhere.

This had to have been Zabuza's Semblance when he was alive… and still was as a part of Gluttony's collection. At least now she knew where the nickname Demon of the Bloody Mist came from…

 _Whoosh_

The giant sword of the ninja cut through the air without warning, splitting Blake's skull open at the base before ruthlessly continuing halfway down her body. At least, that was what looked like happened to the undead sword-wielder. Once the sword was halfway through Blake's body, she transformed into ice, locking the sword in place.

"Reese! Now!" The real Blake appeared in the air behind Zabuza. The ribbon of Gambol Shroud twirling around him before snagging tight, constricting his body in a bind.

 _Voom_

Deep in the fog, she saw the green glow of Reese's hoverboard, the Haven student riding on it as she raced towards the sound of Blake's voice. They had gotten split further apart than Blake had originally anticipated… which wasn't a good thing because she could not hold Zabuza in place for that long.

"Hnnngh!" With a loud grunt of exertion, Zabuza pried himself loose from his bindings and then broke the ice clone Blake had left behind, freeing his massive blade. He hefted that blade up and brought it once more over her head.

Not having enough time to mix Dust with her Semblance, Blake created a simple clone and dodged to the side. Zabuza wouldn't be fooled twice and she warped right into his extended foot.

"Ooph!" All the air fled Blake's lungs as she collapsed to the ground in a heap. Zabuza's free hand reached over, wrapping around her throat and squeezing with the strength of an Ursa.

Blake dropped Gambol Shroud, both hands coming up to grasp the muscular wrist attached to the hand that held her. There was simply no way for her to overpower him and she could do nothing but helplessly pry at his fingers, legs kicking and spasming in an effort to push herself off the ground.

"Let her go!" Reese finally broke through the mist, kicking the hoverboard at Zabuza's head and skipping high in the air over them. The undead ninja brought his own sword up, deflecting the hoverboard.

The board split in two, both halves transforming into a pair of pistols. Now directly above them, Reese reached her hands out, purple sleeves sliding back to reveal two green wristbands. Reacting to the bands, both pistols flew up towards Reese and she caught them, fingers finding the triggers and unleashing two quick shots.

"Gah!" Zabuza hollered in pain, the bullets piercing him in the elbow. His grip on Blake's throat loosened and she gave a large gasp for air, black tendrils at the edge of her vision receding. Free from his grip, Blake rolled to the side and grasped Gambol Shroud.

Brandishing the katana, she lunged forward, driving the tip of its blade in between Zabuza's ribs. Again he hollered in pain. She didn't relent, pushing forward and driving a knee into his gut. The large man toppled backwards, losing grip of his sword.

"Blake! Get away from him!" She didn't need to be told twice, quickly pulling Gambol Shroud free and rolling to the side. Instead of the usual green Dust Reese's weapon usually fired, it shot a pair of red bullets.

 _Boom_

And upon coming into contact with Zabuza they enveloped him in a strong explosion that blasted Blake backwards and sent her tumbling across the ground.

"Sorry about that." Blake's ears barely picked up any of Reese's words, still partially recovering from the shell shock of being so close to the blast. The mint-haired girl hovered up to her, the board still distinctly red as the different Dust source coursed through it.

"You made some upgrades." Blake nodded to the hoverboard, accepting Reese's hand as she helped her to her feet.

"Yeah… well, after you kicked my ass last year in the tournament I decided some improvements were necessary. This fire Dust is actually a trick I picked up during our fight."

 _Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh_

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of something slicing through the air. With wide eyes, they both spun to see Zabuza's giant sword flying right at them.

 _Clang_

Neither of them had a chance to react before a white orb intercepted it, knocking the sword into the grass before ricocheting right at a perfectly unharmed Zabuza. Just before it hit him, the orb ejected a vial of blue Dust that it broke between itself and his chest. The Dust expanded outwards, trapping Zabuza in a pillar of ice, leaving only parts of his legs, hands, and head free.

"I'm gonna borrow that." Lily snagged the katana from Blake's hand before she even realized she was there, skipping up to Zabuza and brutally beheading him in front of them. As the head fell away, a purple orb was left in its place that Lily stabbed at with the tip of Gambol Shroud, destroying it and causing the rest of Zabuza's body to begin disappearing.

"Never drop your guard until you've verified that your opponent is dead. This isn't Grimm or common street thugs you're dealing with." You would never know Lily was scolding them by her tone or body language, sounding more like she was offering friendly advice.

"Right… our bad." Reese looked just as stunned as Blake by Lily's sudden appearance. For the first time in her life, Blake was happy to see someone part dog as Lily tossed the katana back to her.

"Now we need to go." Lily then started to lead them out of the disappearing fog. "Just one spirit left on our end."

* * *

"Damn this chick is fast."

Yang huffed, landing on the roof of one of the undestroyed buildings. She'd lost sight of her opponent who was zipping from building to building using those weird hooks attached to the canisters on her hips.

"Xiao Long! Behind you!" Arslan's shout came from the roof over, giving her plenty of time to react. She spun around just as Annie came up over the roof, being propelled by her maneuver gear.

With a cocky grin, Yang raised her fists, prepared to blast her with Ember Celica. However, as Annie twisted through the air and swung her twin blades, Yang locked up.

The flash of silver transformed into something else. For a moment, she wasn't fighting Annie, the undead traitor summoned by Gluttony. She wasn't in Domremy. Instead, she was back in Kessel, and the flash of silver swinging at her was Violet's katana.

"Xiao Long!" Arslan's voice jerked her from that memory in the nick of time. With a loud scrape, she barely deflected the first strike with Ember Celica. The slash put her off balance and Annie's foot lashed out in a kick that sent Yang tumbling onto the tiled roof.

Yang let out an angry grunt as she pushed herself up. Annie stood over her, raising the blade high. The side of that blade reflected off the sun and again Yang felt her whole body lock up, fear gripping her heart and throat constricting. She had plenty of time to counter-attack, somewhere in the back of her head she knew that. Yet her body wouldn't move, replacing Annie's visage again with one of Violet.

And again it was Arslan that saved her, the dagger at the end of a string piercing Annie in the arm. With a yank, Arslan pulled her sideways and into an outstretched bicep that clotheslined Annie in the neck. The undead girl flailed like a ragdoll, hitting the roof before tumbling over the side of the building.

"Get your head in the game." Arslan scolded harshly, bending down and extending a hand to help Yang up. "You're the one who beat me in the tournament last year and you didn't do it fighting like that… what happened to you?"

"I'm good. It's nothing." Yang shook her head as if to clear the horrible memory, accepting Arslan's hand and jumping to her feet. "I just… I got it now." Those words were made less convincing when she rubbed the scar on her throat while saying them.

Was this… some of what Jaune's sisters felt? The involuntary flashes of horror and pain that they couldn't control? She tried to discard that thought, telling herself those two things were nothing alike… but she couldn't completely dismiss it.

"I hope so. I can't look after you and fight at the same time. Our lives are on the line." Arslan stepped to the edge of the building and looked down to where Annie had fallen. Yang was next to her a second later and predictably, the third blonde was nowhere to be seen.

The sound of gas propulsion caused them both to spin around. Annie had already gotten behind and was flying right at them. Yang took up a defensive stance, this time ready for anything thrown at her.

At least, she thought she was. What she hadn't counted on was Annie sheathing both blades and bringing a hand up to her mouth before biting down on her thumb.

A flash of light enveloped Annie, forcing Yang and Arslan both to avert their eyes before a moment later they were bowled off the roof by a powerful gust of wind. Which in and of itself was a blessing as that building collapsed apart a moment later, the whole earth shaking violently as something huge stepped down.

"Well, this just got more fun." Yang skid to a stop, somehow having managed to land on her feet. Towering above her and Arslan was Annie… at least she thought it was Annie. It was hard to tell now that she looked kind of naked and fifteen metres tall.

"You and I have very different definitions of the word fun." Arslan deadpanned, the giant taking a step in their direction. It moved way faster than either of them were expecting for something of its size, one fist blocking out the sun.

"Arslan! Grab on!" Reese raced by on her hoverboard, whisking her partner off her feet and out of harm's way. Before Yang could complain about being left behind, she felt Blake grab ahold of her and warp them both away with her Semblance.

The ground shook and dust flew in the air, the fist of the giant pulverizing everything that had been in its way. Yang had no doubt if she had still been standing there she'd be little more than a blood stain right about now.

"Having any second thoughts about calling dibs on the blonde?" Lily grinned down at her, Blake having dropped them off next to the older faunus. Reese and Arslan hovered over a moment later.

"Nah… like I was just telling Arslan, this is fun." The leader from Haven rolled her eyes.

"I don't think killing this one will be as easy as the last two…" Blake eyed the giant wearily which only just now seemed to be realizing it hadn't killed either of them. "...you'll need a bigger katana."

"Relax partner, we don't have to kill it at all." Yang pat her on the shoulder, giving the most confident grin she could muster. Blake's yellow eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she didn't get a chance to remark on it.

"She's right. Our only objective is buying time for Jaune to break the scythe." That was what Lily said, but Yang could practically hear the gears in her head turning as she came up with a way to take this thing down.

"For now… let's just trust in him."

* * *

Terrified indigo eyes looked up at Jaune, desperately begging him for help.

With her mouth gagged and unable to speak, Jaune for a split second forgot who she was. In that moment of hesitation he took a step forward… all to protect his sister and remove her restraints. That only lasted until he saw her reflection in the mirror of Viridis Teresa.

This… wasn't Olivia who was asking him for help. It was the sword, Envy.

One of the seven weapons he had sworn to destroy in order to save his sisters and exonerate them of their crimes. And here it was… just being offered to him. It was almost too good to be true… which meant it probably was.

"What's the catch?" Jaune glanced at Gluttony, the scythe balancing on Amethyst's shoulders.

"Catch?" Roman, who was talking for the scythe, placed a hand on his chest as if wounded. "I told you, this was your prize. Since when did prizes come with a catch?"

He wasn't convinced. Nothing with these swords was ever what they appeared. He glanced once more into the mirror, making sure to see everyone who was reflected in its surface. That was the only way to see the truth of the world with Envy around and he knew because of Wrath that the swords didn't have to be touching their hosts to use their powers.

"If I break the claymore for you… what then?"

"Whatever do you mean, Jaune?" Allegretta talked this time, leaning forward innocently and tucking a lock of her grey hair behind one ear, just like she always used to do when talking to him. He supposed Gluttony thought it might have a disarming effect on him, but it was the opposite, his teeth gritting hard in irritation.

"I'm asking you what happens to my sister!" He gestured to the Olivia that was bound and gagged on the ground. "I know you swords are killing all the other Arcs. What guarantee do I have that once I break the sword for you that you won't just kill her right after?"

"Ah… so you figured that part out, did you?" Roman didn't appear to be concerned about their plan having been discovered. "I suppose you're right. Once that pesky claymore is out of the way, I'll have no more use for your sister." He then lifted his cane, positioning the tip of it next to the dome of Olivia's head. "Then again… I could always just kill her first. Then you have no reason not to break the sword for me."

"Mmmf…" Olivia gave a terrified holler into her gag, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she once again stared up pleadingly at Jaune.

Fear froze his heart and he nearly made the mistake of lunging forward. It was only by glancing into the mirror again that he was able to calm himself and not make an unwise or rash decision.

"If you could do that…" He was totally making this up as he went, which he hoped wasn't obvious by the underlying tremor in his voice. "Then you would have already killed her. You have no reason to hold a hostage."

Roman chuckled, apparently finding his words to be humorous.

"Sorry to break it to ya, Glyphy, but I kinda do." He poked Olivia in the head for emphasis. "So long as I got one of your sisters… you're gonna do what I tell ya."

"That only applies if you actually have my sister…"

 _Neow_

He unleashed the glyph energy in his right hand that he had been containing, destroying the illusion Envy had trapped all of them in… including Gluttony.

"What!?"

Roman had to double-take, Olivia no longer crouched down in the spot where he had been holding her hostage. The real one was next to her sword, having been sawing off her bindings with the edge of the blade.

Jaune could see all this reflected in the mirror but kept quiet until the moment her bindings were undone.

"Wanda! Take care of Ally!" Jaune rushed past his sister's partner, not even stopping to worry about the sword she swung down over his head.

 _Clang_

Without a word, Wanda did as asked, her flute transforming back into a staff and intercepting the slash.

"Stay away from me!" Roman backpedaled, Jaune closing in on him. Olivia ripped the gag from her mouth, hoisting up the claymore with the other hand and swinging it at Amethyst.

Two purple orbs flew from the tip of the scythe. One of those materialized in front of Jaune, the other just before Olivia, both of them taking the shape of similar but different White Fang grunts.

 _Neow_

Jaune burnt his second glyph charge to destroy it.

Ten seconds until he had another one.

Olivia mercilessly cut through the other grunt, splitting it in half from the top of its head. The spirit crumbled apart, leaving only the small purple orb it had originally been in its place. Not giving that orb a chance to retake human form she reached out and grabbed it, squeezing so hard it shattered apart.

"You little punk…" Roman grit his teeth, spinning Melodic Cudgel around and swinging it at his head. Jaune ducked and pivot, foot coming high in a chamber-kick that caught the former thug in the chin.

He didn't have time to waste on all these spirits. The one he had to focus on was the actual scythe. Turning his attention to Amethyst, he closed the remaining distance just as Olivia did the same.

For the first time since arriving, Gluttony was forced to wield itself in battle. Amethyst moved almost robotically, facial expression not changing at all as she brought the scythe around, tip of the blade clashing with the claymore.

Jaune leapt in the air, whole body tightening like a coil before unleashing a powerful spinning kick aimed at her head. Only to hit nothing but thin air, his foot phasing through Amethyst like she wasn't even there.

Having activated her incorporeal Semblance, the same thing happened to Olivia, the claymore falling past the scythe and she stumbled through Amethyst's body. Jaune landed next to Olivia and they both spun around, taking up offensive stances.

On the other side he could see Wanda and Allegretta square off for another clash. In the distance Rue and Neo continued to fight and Coco was still engaged in combat with Ace. None of the others were in sight anymore, their battles having moved them elsewhere. He wasn't going to be able to rely on them while all that went on, which only left him with one comrade…

"Really? You two are going to team up?" Roman wiped his lower lip even though there was no chance he was actually bleeding from Jaune's kick.

"It disgusts me too." Olivia glanced at Jaune sideways and he returned her glare, nothing short of animosity passing between them. "If it's what I have to do to survive… then so be it."

"And you?"

"Envy is the least of my problems right now." As much as it pained him to admit it, he could really use all the help he could get, even if it was from one of the swords.

"Don't call me Envy. I prefer Olivia."

"Yeah, that's not happening." No way in Hell was he ever calling this sword by his sister's name, same side temporarily or not. "Can you fight without your illusions? My glyphs are just going to shatter them if you trap me too trying to ensnare Gluttony."

"I have a weaker illusion that I normally don't rely on because it's impractical. One that makes the claymore look like it's leaving afterimages. Think of it as an internal illusion I cast on myself instead of an external one."

"So… we're really doing this?"

"Looks like it."

He had always wanted to fight side by side with his sisters. Never did he imagine the first opportunity for that would happen like this.

Roman snarled at them as the tip of the scythe began glowing purple again. A half dozen purple orbs flew out of it, all of them taking the shape of White Fang grunts. If Gluttony was relying solely on these guys when pit in a situation like this… it had to be because all her stronger souls were still in Vacuo. He would never have a better chance to break it than right now.

"Cut me a path through… I'll take care of the scythe." Jaune flexed his hands, body tensing to sprint forward.

"I already know." Envy took off first, charging right into the thick of the summoned grunts. The claymore in her hands began to shimmer, the whole thing vibrating at an intense frequency. When she swung, at least a dozen images of the claymore appeared, all of them cutting in a single path. Gluttony had no way of knowing which one was real and which wasn't and in that single swing, two of the spirits were split in half.

The other four jumped her at once. With speed that should've been impossible for a girl that size wielding a weapon that big, Olivia twirled the claymore around. It left a disorienting trail of afterimages that bisected all four of them.

In that moment, Jaune pushed off the ground and lunged forward. He had only a couple seconds before those spirits reformed and he needed to get the scythe before they could and cost him glyph charges.

Roman stepped between him and the scythe, Gluttony finally throwing away its motor-mouthed summon in order to protect herself. He could risk at least the one charge to destroy him, removing the last obstacle in his path. With that thought in mind, Jaune's left arm stretched out and reached for Torchwick.

 _Schlicht_

He never got close.

The claymore afterimage passed by in front of him and stopped Jaune in his tracks. Wide blue eyes turned to meet the unapologetic indigo of Olivia's.

"I finally got you…" Those words left her in a breathless whisper, as if she couldn't believe them herself. Her whole body shook as an estranged laugh rocked her and a twisted, malignant smile spread uncharacteristically across her face.

"Envy, what have you done!?" Roman cried in outrage, but Jaune barely even heard it.

 _Thud_

Instead, it was the sickening sound of something hitting the ground that commanded his attention. Time appeared to slow down as his eyes trailed to the source.

He tried denying it, right up until the very last second. He wanted so badly to believe this was an illusion. He willed his Shatter Glyphs to activate, to free him from this spell Envy surely placed him under.

Only nothing happened.

This was reality.

And the reality was… that was his arm lying on the grass, cut off at the elbow and dying the earth red with his blood.

Once he fully accepted that, the pain began to settle in and it was his blood-curdling scream that echoed across the battlefield.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Yes, I am aware that the title of this chapter is probably in poor taste.

Kind of curious, how many saw this coming?

I have really mixed feelings about this chapter. I mean, the opening scene is an OC vs a character from another show. If that's not enough of a redflag I don't know what is. Hopefully that ending made all the payoff worth it, assuming you didn't just skip around, which I again wouldn't blame anyone for. That sounds sad to say, haha.

The way the spirits of Gluttony reform is based on Melzalgald from the anime/manga, One Punch-Man.

I've had multiple requests for omakes where Jaune learned how to keep count in battle the way he does, for his uncle who was the glyph bearer before him, and for more on his mother. So here's a little of all that. It's kind of screwed up and not what I imagine many of you were expecting, but what do I know?

* * *

 **Omake 42**

 _Uncle_

* * *

 _Twenty_

 _Nineteen_

 _Eighteen_

 _Whack_

"Ow! What the Hell was that for!?" Jaune clutched his elbow, attempting not to roll around on the floor from the pain. Through the tears in his eyes he glared up at the man who had suddenly whacked him with the wooden end of a broom.

"You had better still be counting in that head of yours, Jaune." His uncle said this unmercilessly, glaring down at him like he was a form of life lower than that of an earthworm. "What number are you at?"

"Uh… Twelve?"

 _Whack_

"Ahh! Why!?" This time he did roll around, not able to bear the pain any further after being struck in the exact same spot.

"Are you seriously asking that question?" His uncle shook his head in disappointment, hefting the broom up and over his shoulders. "You're not improving nearly quickly enough. You have to learn to be able to count down from thirty no matter what the situation. Your timing must be precise and accurate."

"And hitting me with a broom is supposed to help with that?" If anything, that seemed kind of counter-productive to him.

"The Seven Sacred Arc Swords are going to hurt a whole Helluva lot more than a broom if you ever have to face one of them. Now hurry up and start again."

"Fine, fine." He grumbled under his breath, slowly getting back up to his feet, waiting for his uncle to begin counting.

"Thirty."

 _Twenty-nine_

 _Twenty-eight_

 _Twenty-seven_

"Twenty-four."

 _Twenty-three_

 _Twenty-two_

"What number are you at?"

"Twenty-one."

 _Whack_

"Why!?"

"You skipped three numbers."

"I was just adjusting to where you were!"

"Never doubt the number that is in your head. Time feels like it moves differently in the heat of battle. You have to pay attention to your own internal clock and not allow anything outside to interfere with that."

"Okay… but did you seriously have to use the broom to prove that point?" He could feel his elbow beginning to welt. This pain was excruciating.

"Maybe not… but I felt like it."

"Does causing me pain bring you some kind of sick pleasure or something like that?"

"Not exactly…" It was hard to believe him when he finished those two words with a snort of amusement. "...you'll understand when you're older. When it's your turn to train the next glyph bearer."

"There's no way I'm putting my successor through something like this. I'm in the exact same position as you are. I would think you would understand the pain I'm going through. Yet you always act like you hate me."

"I do."

"What…?"

"I do hate you, Jaune. From the deepest, most bottom part of my heart… I hate you."

"You…" He looked deep into his uncle's eyes, trying to find some kind of trace of a lie. Maybe even a hint of a joke.

There was nothing.

"Why?" His voice cracked and he once again felt tears well in the corner of his eyes, but this time not from physical pain… but something that hurt far much more.

"You'll understand when you're older."

"That's not an answer!"

 _Whack_

"Ah!" Jaune collapsed to the floor, gripping the back of his knee.

"We don't have time to waste on your petty insecurities, Jaune. I've got less than five years to make sure you have this counting gimmick down to absolute perfection."

"Why five years?" His question coming out between grit teeth. "What the heck happens then?"

"In five years…" For the first time since he had been marked a glyph bearer, his uncle's face changed from something other than outright contempt. Although he would almost prefer that to the pity he gave him instead.

"...that's when you'll understand."

* * *

"Uncle, you liar."

He still didn't understand at all.

If anything, he was more confused than ever.

This was the most confusing, muddy feeling he had ever experienced in his whole life.

He hated his uncle. Just like how his uncle hated him. He couldn't even count the number of times he wished he was dead… or how many he had told him that to his face.

So to actually have it happen… Jaune supposed he should have been happy.

Only he wasn't at all.

Instead, he had cried his eyes out. He had cried and cried until he couldn't anymore and eventually fell asleep on his twin's shoulder. The funeral procession had long ended and everyone else had left. When his father had picked him up to carry him out, however, Jaune had woken up.

He asked if he could stay for just a little while longer… and now here he was. Almost all alone. Just him… and the black casket that held his uncle. Unconsciously, his hand traced the engraving on the side of it that spelled out his uncle's name.

"Why… do the glyph bearers hate each other?"

He asked to no one in particular. Or maybe he was asking that question to everyone that came before him? Which was also why he didn't expect an answer.

"Your uncle loved you, Jaune." His mother crouched down next to him, her hand coming to rest over his. "I wasn't born an Arc like your father so it might not be my place to say… but I could see how everything he did for you was out of that love."

"Really?" Jaune scoffed in disbelief. "Because he told me pretty often how it was the opposite."

"I know it's hard to wrap your mind around… but I think perhaps one day you too will understand."

Yeah, he had heard that before.

"You mean like when it's my turn to get murdered by my successor?"

"Your uncle didn't see it as murder."

"He should have and so should you… I'm a murderer… you shouldn't even want anything to do with me."

"You're not a murderer… and how could I ever think less of you?" His mother's arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a tight hug as she placed a strong kiss on the top of his head. "My sweet, caring son who feels compassion even for someone he hated."

Someone he hated… wait a second.

"Did uncle… make me hate him so that I wouldn't feel like this when he died?" Suddenly it all made sense, including his own tears. On some subconscious level… he really had understood all along.

"Hmm…" His mother whispered just a small affirmation into his ear, tightening her hold on him. "I know you went through a lot Jaune… and that's why I'm so proud of you. Your uncle wanted to spare you from this pain… but I think you are a much stronger person for being able to endure it."

"...I don't feel very strong right now."

Instead, he felt hollow.

"I know, sweetie. I know." She continued to cradle him and he felt himself sink into her touch, relishing in its warmth. "It hurts now, but one day you'll see how strong you really are."

He really wanted to believe her words, if only because they helped dull the pain a little. Looking back at the casket, he felt the tears begin to return. Not willing to stay any longer, he offered one final parting to the man who had tried to convince him to hate him for the past five years.

"I'm sorry, Uncle. In the end... I loved you after all."


	49. Coco vs Olivia

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Coco vs Olivia_

* * *

The titan they were fighting froze.

This wasn't like the last couple times where it had paused in confusion, having briefly lost the location of the five of them. No, this time it had stopped mid-swing, jerking unnaturally to a sudden halt.

Yang wasn't about to complain. Annie was getting faster and better at predicting where they would be with each attack thrown and the last one she had barely managed to dodge. If her Semblance hadn't absorbed the grazing arm she would've been in trouble.

For a second, Yang even allowed herself to think optimistically that it was about to break apart, Jaune having destroyed Gluttony and dispelling all of its spirits.

"Jaune…" Only that didn't happen and as Yang turned on her partner, she saw her yellow eyes go wide, bow twitching furiously as cat ears picked up on some sound Yang couldn't hope to hear.

"What's going on?" Reese skid to a stop, hovering nearby and over their heads.

"Jaune's in trouble. He's hurt." Those words were all Yang needed to hear.

"Yang! Wait!" She didn't listen, barrelling full-tilt down the street and back in the direction of Jaune's house. Everything else could wait. She couldn't let anything happen to Jaune now… not after just finally…

Lily landed with a soft thud next to her, easily keeping pace with Yang's speed. The dog faunus only gave a simple nod, perpetual smile tucked in a serious frown. They were on the same page; getting to Jaune was priority one.

Which was only made harder when the ground began shaking violently as the titan suddenly began moving again. Each thud of its feet were like miniature earthquakes that threatened to throw Yang and Lily off their feet.

"Out of the way!" Lily dove to the side, tacking Yang off the street and into a small alley just as Annie raced past, heading the same direction they had been.

"Now what?" Annie had seemed perfectly intent on trying to come them up until she'd frozen stiff and now she was fleeing?

"Whatever's going on with Jaune… I don't think Gluttony's happy about." Lily stumbled to her feet, helping Yang up as well before they were both almost knocked back over by the constant tremors.

"Yang, hop on." Reese hovered next to them, her board not at all affected.

"Thanks." It took her a second longer than she would've liked to properly get on. Once both arms were secured tightly around Reese's waist, however, they were off faster than Yang possibly could've been able to move on foot.

"Just hang on, Jaune…" Yang whispered under her breath, hoverboard quickly gaining on Annie.

* * *

The harrowing scream that ripped across the battlefield was enough to make Rue's blood freeze.

That… was Jaune.

Rue cursed internally. She just knew she shouldn't have split apart from him for this long. What she hadn't expected was Neo to be so damn skilled. No matter what Rue did she wasn't able to get in a single solid hit.

The moment Jaune's scream washed over them, even that midget had frozen, tip of the umbrella positioned to stab Rue in the throat. She still didn't know what had happened, but in order to properly help Jaune she had to eliminate her first.

Twirling her right sword, she chopped off the arm holding the umbrella. Neo didn't even react, leaving her to believe Gluttony had temporarily lost control of all its spirits. Before she could regain control, Rue's left sword sliced into Neo's neck, beheading the multicolor haired girl and exposing the orb that powered her.

In one fluid motion, Rue combined her swords together and shifted them back into a double-barreled shotgun. Clicking the barrels open she loaded it with two dust shells, snapped it shut and pointed the end against the orb. With a swift pull of the trigger and a loud bang, the orb shattered apart into dozens of little pieces.

Only once that was done did she turn for Jaune, looped twintails bouncing as her silver eyes darted to the source of his scream. He had dropped to his knees, one arm… holding the stump of another.

Wanda and Coco had both stopped fighting, stopped in shock just like Gluttony and all her summons. Envy was the only one moving, bringing her claymore high over her head in preparation to split Jaune's head open.

Rue clicked her teeth, squeezing her left eye shut. The world shifted and she teleported between Jaune and his sin-controlled sister.

"Wha-" Olivia coughed blood, bottom of Rue's foot drilling into her stomach. The force of the kick sent her flying back several dozen feet where she eventually rolled to a stop. Rue didn't have any more time to waste on her, spinning back to Gluttony and raising her shotgun.

 _Bang_

To her annoyance, Gluttony had finally regained control of its summons again, Allegretta diving in front of the scatter shot and taking the brunt of the damage. As her orb was exposed it floated back to the scythe before vanishing inside.

"...I'm leaving." Rue couldn't hear what Roman said over the sound of Jaune's screams, only able to read his lips in order to understand.

"Like Hell you are." She unlatched the barrels of her shotgun, loading it with two more shells. "You're gonna stick around and take responsibility for harming Violet's younger brother. Since she's not around to kick your ass, I'm just gonna have to do it for her."

"You ignorant little…" Roman's eyes flared in anger. "Do you not understand what has just happened!?" She glanced away from Roman, sparing Jaune only a quick once-over. He had finally managed to stifle his screams and was now focused on breathing deeply, holding the tip of his stump in the air and placing his other hand over it in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

"He'll live." Rue shrugged it off, turning back to Roman. "And he still has one glyph left to break you apart."

"Talking to you isn't going to get me anywhere." Roman gave a long sigh of exasperation. "I have to report to Pride. So again, I am leaving. However… I suppose I can leave a couple spirits to finish you all."

"Twintails! Look out!" Rue's head jerked to the side just in time to see a rain of fireballs coming right for them. She nor Jaune had to move as a wall of green fairies formed a defensive barrier over their head.

"I am sorry, Rue." Wanda held both hands in the air, maintaining the dimensional rift for the fairies to pass through. "You trusted me to look after little Jaune and I-"

"It's no one's fault. This is a battle." And Rue still intended to finish it. She couldn't do that if Gluttony escaped like it was now attempting to do, opening a purple portal to jump into. "I thought I told you to wait!"

 _Bang_

She discharged another shot but before it could connect another spirit jumped forth from the scythe. Rue only caught sight of an unfamiliar girl for a split second before the Dust ripped her apart, leaving only the small orb behind. She didn't have time to destroy it, the orb floating into the air and out of sight, just as the portal Gluttony stepped into vanished.

"You were saying?" Roman grinned sarcastically. If nothing else, Rue was glad Gluttony had left this spirit behind. She couldn't wait to personally blow its lower jaw clean off.

"You forgot your partner." Rue nudged a thumb over her shoulder at Envy. That sword behind her was also the only reason Rue hadn't personally left Jaune's side to chase after Gluttony. She'd screwed up once and wasn't about to do it again. Fortunately, the green-haired girl remained sitting where Rue had kicked her, simply watching the battle up to this point.

"That traitor will get what's coming to her. Don't worry about that."

Rue didn't understand enough to know what was going on with these swords. Why prioritize Jaune over themselves? It didn't make sense.

"What do you even want with Jaune?"

"Whatever it was Pride needed him for doesn't matter anymore. He's dead now." Rue glanced down at Jaune again, actually fearing the worst for a moment. Only to find him very much alive. This wasn't… an illusion, was it?

"I'm real." Jaune managed to say through grit teeth. He must have seen her glancing once more back to Envy. "My Glyph would've shattered an illusion if she placed us in one. Even with just one my cooldown is faster than her illusions are."

"Then what's he talking about?"

"You don't have time to turn away from me!" The tip of Roman's cane entered the side of her vision. Transforming her shotgun into twin swords again, she blocked with the left one and jabbed at him with the right. Roman barely dodged her retaliation, backstepping out of the way. The very action goaded her to follow and she almost took his bait.

Had she done it, she might've been turned to ash, a wall of fire erupting on the ground she nearly stepped on. Ace stepped out from that fire, his arm still ablaze as he swung at her.

"Rue!" A barrage of blue fairies fanned out the flames, forming a low barricade of ice. Rue dropped to the ground, pulling Jaune's head beneath the barricade to dodge Ace's attack.

With a twirl of the staff, Wanda knocked Ace into Roman and took up a defensive stance, prepared to fight them both at the same time.

"Go help her." Coco ran around the other side of the wall, skidding to a stop and dropping to her knees next to Jaune. "I'll take care of him." She reached into her bag that had earlier transformed into a gun and pulled out a set of medical bandages.

"Let anything more happen to him and I'm not going to be as forgiving." Rue was going to regret this, she almost knew it, but she couldn't leave her partner to fight by herself. She spared Jaune another glance and he nodded, telling her to go. "Just hang tight… Wanda can fix this."

"I know." He gave a pained but somehow confident smirk. "Don't get mad if I free Olivia in the time it takes you to deal with them."

"Heh, cocky brat. Violet rubbed off on you. And not in a good way." She flicked him in the forehead and nodded one last time to Coco. "There's one spirit hanging around still. Be on the lookout for it."

"Just leave it to me. I'm his upperclassman."

Satisfied, Rue peeked back over the barricade and prepared to warp to the other side to aide her partner. Like a practiced dancer, Wanda easily weaved around the attacks of both Ace and Roman, bare feet sliding across the dirt and grass. The ground tremored and in the distance she could see some kind of giant naked woman sprinting at them.

What the Hell was Lily doing? Damnit… looked like they had another spirit entering the fray. Not to mention she still hadn't seen any sign of that last girl Gluttony had summoned before disappearing. Not that there was any time to worry about it now.

Closing her right eye she activated her Semblance and warped into the battle.

* * *

"How do you even store anything in that bag?" Jaune curiously tried to peek into Coco's handbag, but flinched when she tightened the cloth around the remainder of his arm to cut off circulation.

"Dust is capable of a lot of things… and you shouldn't be talking." Satisfied that he would no longer bleed to death, Coco stood up and turned to Olivia… no, she was Envy. "She's not an illusion?"

Envy was far too relaxed. Simply sitting on her butt and watching them like a parent might when their child was trying to solve an obvious riddle. The smug confidence on her face pissed Coco off… after everything this bitch had done, she had no right to make that kind of expression.

"I don't need illusions anymore. I've already won." And damn was that taunting voice of her's annoying. Coco was so glad Olivia never talked in such a way when not possessed or she probably would've punched her.

"Now what's she talking about?"

Jaune tried to stand but his legs buckled beneath him. Coco leaned down, resting a hand on his shoulder to make sure he didn't try again. He gave an exhausted sigh, bringing his other hand up to rest on his stump.

"Glyph bearers… die five years to the day after a new one is marked." Yeah, she had already heard that. Not the five-year bit but he mentioned that there could only be one. "If you knew your hands were going to kill you… would you cut them off?"

Coco's eyes widened behind her shades.

"The early glyph bearers tried just that." He didn't give her a chance to even think up an answer. "They tried a whole bunch of different ways in order to save themselves from being killed after the new bearer was marked. None of it worked… and they only ever succeeding in speeding the process up."

"We need to get you to a hosp-"

"The glyph bearers who chopped off both hands died within five minutes of losing them… about ten minutes if they only cut off one."

Shit. They would never make it somewhere in time. Jaune was… he was going to die. The moment he lost one of his hands he must have realized this.

"So you see now?" Envy laughed, finally standing up and hoisting the claymore over her shoulder. "Gluttony didn't abandon me. I have nothing to fear anymore. Jaune is going to die and I'm finally free to run away and live as a human."

"You're not free to go anywhere…" The chance to avenge Fox was finally in front of her. She wasn't going to let it slip away. No matter what, this ended here.

"Help me up." Jaune seemed to agree, placing a hand on Coco's shoulder and once again attempting to rise to his feet. "I've still got seven minutes left… we can beat her."

"You're not beating anyone in that state." Coco helped him the rest of the way up, wrapping an arm around his waist to support him, but he was only able to remain standing by leaning heavily against her. It was like all the energy was being sapped from his body. There was no way he could fight. "I've got an idea…"

She popped open her bag, showing him what was inside. His eyes widened and lips tucked into an uncertain line.

"Will it work?"

"It… might. I don't know."

"Hey!" She shook him roughly. "Pull yourself together. I'm about to put my life on the line here too. So you're going to need to do a little better than 'I don't know.' Now I'm going to ask again: Will it work?"

"It…" Jaune hesitated again, eyes darting between the bag and his sister. Her grip on his waist tightened and only then did his eyes harden in resolve and he gave a resolute nod. "It will. I'm certain of it."

"Thatta boy." Coco pat him on the cheek and took a step back to allow him to stand on his own. It looked like he might collapse at any second but by some miracle he managed to dig his heels into the ground and remain upright. "Now are you ready?"

"Yeah." Jaune's remaining hand clenched tightly. "Let's do this."

"Are you serious?" Envy looked to be restraining another bout of outright laughter. "You really wanna waste what little time you have left?"

"If I'm going to die either way… might as well take you with me." Jaune gave a pained grin and took a couple uneasy steps forward. With each subsequent step he gradually picked up speed until he was giving a staggering jog of a charge.

"You little…" Envy's easygoing smile transformed into an angry scowl. "Just die already!" She leapt forward and brought her claymore high.

"I'm still here!" Coco stepped to the side, transforming her bag back into a gun and unleashing a barrage of bullets between the two of them. Olivia quickly backpedaled, retreating from Jaune… and in the mirror she saw a reflection of her charging from the other side. "Jaune! It's an illusion!"

 _Neow_

The Olivia they were both facing vanished. The real one appeared next to Jaune, swinging horizontally. If he had a charge left he could've just grabbed the sword and shattered it there. With only one hand, that wasn't an available strategy, a fact Envy was taking advantage of.

Jaune dropped ungracefully, barely dodging her swing. Olivia spun the claymore, once more bringing it high. Coco turned her minigun, not letting off the trigger. The nonstop barrage of bullets shifted and Olivia was forced to abandon her attack, turning the broadside of the blade to guard against the assault.

 _Hiss_

Coco's gun overheated, the attacking coming to an unexpected halt. With an irritated click of the teeth, Coco transformed her gun back into its bag form and sprint at them. Jaune was already rolling away in an attempt to put as much distance between himself and Envy as possible.

Envy gave chase, bringing the claymore around back in preparation for a heavy slash. Jaune skipped up, attempting to jump to his feet. He only succeeded in getting as far as his knees, before blue eyes made contact with Olivia's indigo.

Jaune's body froze stiff. This time not from pain but from becoming ensnared in Olivia's Semblance.

This was the chance they had been waiting for.

With a final burst of speed, Coco closed the remaining distance, reaching into her bag and pulling out a special pair of sunglasses she brought just for this battle, the outside of them reflecting everything looking in like a pair of mirrors.

Olivia swung her blade at the still immobile Jaune.

Coco shoved him out of the way, slipping the glasses on over her face and knocking her old pair to the side. She came face to face with Olivia, her new sunglasses reflecting the power of Olivia's Semblance back at her. Just like she had been hoping, Olivia froze in place.

"Not bad, huh?" Coco grinned cockily, flicking her reflective sunglasses. Now she just had to wait for Jaune's glyph charge to reset and he could break the claymore while Olivia was ensnared by her own Semblance… at least, she must have thought that was their plan.

"Pfft, hahaha!" Olivia closed her eyes and doubled over in laughter. "Are you serious? That was your master plan? You bet everything on me reflecting Olivia's Semblance back at myself?" She opened her eyes back up and started to swing the claymore again. "Sorry, but this Semblance only works with direct eye contact, you morons."

"I know." Coco snipped back, cocky grin not failing in the slightest. Her unwavering confidence caused Olivia to hesitate, not much, just a small hitch in her swing. However, it was enough for Coco to bring her bag up and toss it at the claymore.

The heavy bag clashed with the blade, the unexpected weight enough to halt Envy's swing completely and jar her arms from the sudden shock. Coco's bag bounced off and spun through the air, the top flipping open after she failed to close it properly.

All kinds of things tumbled out; lipstick, makeup, medical bandages, fashion magazines, more sunglasses… Jaune's severed arm.

Olivia's eyes widened, evident fear registering as she realized she'd been deceived.

"No, wait! I'm sorr-"

"It's too late for that!" Coco stepped forward, snatching Jaune's severed arm out of the air and brandishing it like a club. Envy couldn't possibly retreat in time.

Coco had dreamed about this moment every single night since they lost Fox. There were so many things she wanted to say, so many renditions she had run through her mind for when the time finally came to get revenge. In the end, there was just too much she wanted to say… and in this instant, she only had enough for one line.

"This is for pissing me off, you bitch!"

 _Neow_

Just like Jaune promised, it worked. The severed glyph reacted to the claymore, Envy. The whole claymore took on a white glow, black tendrils spreading across that light and enveloping the entire blade.

Olivia's eyes and mouth opened wide, the dying silent scream of the one who took so much from them.

"What the He-" Jaune never got to finish that exclamation, black tendrils shooting out from the other end of his severed arm, the same kind that were destroying the sword. Those tendrils twisted and bent in the air for a second before lurching at his prone body. They connected to his wrapped elbow, shredding the bandages she had placed on him.

A pained yell tore from his throat, the skin under the rest of his arm writhing as if a dozen snakes had entered his body. With a final bright flash, the claymore vanished from existence and Olivia collapsed unconscious to the earth.

The arm Coco was holding flew from her grip, the black tendrils receding and tugging it back towards the rest of Jaune. With a loud snap bone met bone and he let out another pained howl. He collapsed like Olivia did, face hitting the dirt and screams coming to an abrupt stop.

"Jaune? Hey, Jaune!" Coco dropped next to him, lifting his face from the dirt and inspecting the now reattached arm. It was… completely healed. Only a large, black scar looking like more like a tattoo was left in place where the severed appendage had reconnected. Just… what happened?

"Damn… getting my arm put back on hurt more than having it cut off." Jaune groaned eyes still closed and teeth clenched together so tight she could hear them grinding against each other.

"You- You knew that was going to happen?" Was that why he had been so calm the whole time? Well, as calm as someone could be for having their arm sliced off.

"No." He admitted, finally rolling off her and onto his butt. He brought the arm up and inspected the new scar with crossed eyes. She wasn't even sure he could see straight yet. "I was actually banking on Wanda being able to fix it for me. Her fairies are capable of some pretty extraordinary healing. This… I never expected this."

"You couldn't have told me that, you asshole!?" Coco punched him hard in the side of the freshly reattached arm. He winced in pain, but not any more than ordinary, so she supposed the whole thing wasn't overly sensitive or anything.

"Envy's guard was down because she thought for sure I was going to die." He rubbed the shoulder she had hit and turned to look back at his sister. Coco followed his gaze and saw she had collapsed onto her back, chest slowly rising and falling in rhythm. She was going to be okay. "I didn't want to provoke her into attacking earnestly by thinking I might actually survive."

"Makes sense." Coco relented bitterly, still not entirely pleased. She had already been practicing what she was going to tell Yang and the others. Not to mention Olivia when she woke up and found out she had been the one directly responsible for his death.

"Now's probably not the time, but I gotta ask." Coco quirked an eyebrow at the humorous tone in Jaune's voice and the relieved expression on his face. It looked like he was just finally coming to grips with the fact that he wasn't going to die.

"Shoot."

"How's it feel to be the second person in history to ever destroy one of the Seven Sacred Arc Swords?"

Coco stared at him with wide eyes, not that he could see it behind her sunglasses. A moment later and she had to stifle a major outburst of laughter, bringing both hands up to her mouth and shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

"Pretty damn awesome." She managed to say after calming herself. "Almost enough that I'm a little sad your arm popped back on. It made a reliable weapon."

"Ha, don't joke about that." Jaune held his left hand up in the air and compared it against the sky. "I still don't get why destroying the sword reattached it."

Coco didn't know so of course she couldn't answer. And the others were all still fighting, a wall of fire and ice separating them from the battleground and making them invisible. That was what made it even more surprising when a feminine voice responded to his supposedly impossible question.

"That is the true power of the glyphs."

"Who-?" Jaune and Coco both leapt to their feet, spinning around to look at a woman who had appeared out of thin air, standing just behind Olivia's unconscious form. Coco recognized her in that she had only appeared for a second before, intercepting Rue's attempt to shoot Gluttony before floating off. Now she was back.

"Gluttony." Coco supplied for Jaune and he tensed, eyes darting between the girl and his sister. Coco realized then how bad this was. If they were trying to kill all Arcs… was she going to try and finish Olivia here?

"Not quite. Although you're not entirely wrong either." The girl shook her head, causing both of them to share a confused glance.

"Your hands are…" Jaune's words drew Coco's gaze down to mangled, scarred tissue that made up both her hands.

Her eyes then glanced over the rest of the girl again. She had on heavy boots, completely unfit for her tiny legs. Baggy dark pants concealed by the brown of a welder's apron. A white cloth shirt that was covered in soot with the sleeves rolled up, exposing her lower arms and marred hands. She was thin, almost malnourished. Finally, blue eyes just like Jaune and incredibly long black hair tied in a twirled ponytail, a white bow holding it together towards the base.

"Ah, so you noticed. I'm a glyph bearer, just like you." The girl shook her head slowly. "Actually, it would be more accurate to say I am the original glyph bearer."

"The original… glyph bearer?" Jaune's whole body went lax, dropping his guard in disbelief. If it was a ruse to attack him, the girl didn't make good of it, instead continuing her self-introduction.

"Although, telling you just that probably doesn't mean anything. Perhaps it would make more sense to tell you I was a blacksmith beyond compare… the person who forged the Seven Sacred Arc Swords and breathed into them a part of my soul."

"Then you're-"

"That all ended… when I was betrayed by the family I created the swords for and became the first soul of a human my Gluttony ever consumed."

"My ancestor, Noir Arc."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Four swords down. Only three to go. I'm finally past the halfway mark with the swords... and it only took nearly fifty chapters.

The name Viridis Teresa is a combination of Greek and Latin. Translated directly, it would be something like Green Harvest. It was also meant as a reference to the Japanese manga/anime, Claymore. Cause, you know, it was a claymore and there was a character in the series called Teresa. The ability it used in the last chapter was also a homage to Miria's fighting style.

I received quite a few ideas and speculations for an automail arm, but obviously I'm not going that route. So here's my reasoning for chopping his arm off, even though I only put it back on a chapter later: First off, I needed to address the fact that Jaune and the glyphs bearers before him can't just chop their arms off when the next one is branded to avoid death. Otherwise, they all just would've done that. If Jaune could do that and get automail... it would've created a pretty big plothole.

Of course, in a story where Jaune is the only one who can defeat the enemy with the power on his hands, the idea of dismemberment had to come up eventually. However, if I start dealing with dismemberment and the trauma that causes, I'm really just trailing down the same path my other story, Falling Down is already on. I could glaze over the pain and torture Jaune would go through losing his arm, but that wouldn't be realistic either.

This was also a chance for me to give Coco an opportunity to really shine after moping for like twenty chapters. Jaune can't have all the glory. Speaking of Coco, her bag totally works like a bag of holding in DnD. Finally, this has also opened the gate to talk about the true purpose of the glyph bearers and what the glyphs are. So more on that next chapter now that Noir has made a proper introduction into the story. Be prepared for a lot of exposition.

I won't talk about Noir much this notes, but there is one comparison with her I feel worth mentioning: For better or worse, she and Charlotte (from my other story, Auburn) have a lot of similarities... something I didn't initially pick up on until I was well into writing this story. They both have very different roles within their separate stories, but again, I felt it was worth saying something ahead of time since I'm sure a few of you who read both stories will pick up on it anyways. What can I say? Guess I like the undead ancestor shtick.

Finally, moving onto the omake. I decided to do one focusing on Violet's team, VLWR, and also just be a little silly with it given the more serious stuff going on. So it's time for that obligatory anime beach episode-esque omake.

* * *

 **Omake 43**

 _Extreme Beach Volleyball_

* * *

The beach.

It was supposed to be a place for relaxation and comfort. The sun shone brightly in the sky, casting its scorching rays on the waves of the ocean which rolled gently in an almost intoxicating rhythm.

The citizens and tourists of Vacuo paid no mind to any of this, instead cheering loudly and flailing with excitement at the intense game of volleyball unfolding before them. An impromptu arena had been formed, countless people being drawn to the game from up to miles away. Vendors shuffled through the crowd, selling food and refreshments, capitalizing on the sudden influx.

Violet and her team were in Vacuo and at this very beach... the players of this very game. It was the first day of their long-earned vacation and perhaps the last trip they would take together as students of Beacon. Playing volleyball was just their excuse to unwind, take their minds off the upcoming graduation exam, and also determine which partner group would be paying for dinner.

For the crowd watching the members of team VLWR, however, this wasn't volleyball.

This was a spectacle the likes of which they never witnessed.

Violet and Lily stood on one side of the net. Lily in a blue one-piece swimsuit. Violet in a purple two-piece with a shorts bottom. On the other side of that net were Wanda and Rue. Wanda wore a two-piece with a skirted bottom and Rue a checkered bikini.

"Lily! Go high!" Violet dove for the volleyball that rocketed towards the ground with enough force to distort the very air around it. To try and get in the way of that ball would be suicide. Fortunately for Violet, she had no need to get in the way of it.

The ball got within a few feet of her and curved rapidly, the drastic change caused by its own momentum and Violet's Semblance. Just shy of hitting the ground, the ball wrapped under Violet's horizontal body and arched back up. Violet landed on the beach, bare stomach and legs splashed up the scorching sand. The volleyball's course had already been changed, racing high into the air.

"Aye Aye!" Lily crouched down, placing all four limbs on the ground and spreading her stance wide. She gave a cocky grin before appearing to vanish, erupting sand in every direction like a rocket had achieved liftoff. The dog faunus reappeared high in the air, meeting the volleyball at the arc of its ascent.

"And take that!" Lily slapped the ball with her enhanced faunus strength. It once again flew downwards, this time aiming for the other side of the net. If one looked closely enough, they could see wisps of smoke being generated behind the poor, abused ball.

"Wanda! You know what to do!" Rue closed her right eye, preparing to activate her Semblance.

"Once again, I do not believe the fairies appreciate being used in a way such as this..."

"Wanda!"

"Oh my, oh my. Very well." Wanda spread her arms wide and a veil of green fairies phased into their realm. Those fairies swarmed around the ball, altering its trajectory and slowing its descent.

Wanda jogged to directly underneath the ball and held two open palms above her head. With an Aura-spiked tap, she sent it once more flying high, the crown of flowers on her head nearly being blown away from the force.

Just as the ball slowed, Rue activated her Semblance and blinked into the air right next to it.

The second she did that, Violet nodded and gave Lily the signal. The dog faunus unclenched her right hand, activating her Semblance. A glowing pawmark she had placed on the side of the volleyball went off like a flashbang, blinding Rue and throwing off her aim.

She swung and still managed to strike the ball, but it was at an awkward angle that sent it skewing horribly to the right.

The crowd screamed and attempted to flee but they were compacted too tight. The ball missed striking anyone directly but the shockwave it created sent no less than four dozen people flying through the air and a wave of sand to bury some of them up to their knees.

"That's game! The winners, Violet Arc and Lily!" Some unofficial announcer screamed into a microphone, voice trailing across the entire crowd, encompassing even those who hadn't witnessed the winning play.

The eruption of cheers that followed was almost deafening to those within its confines.

"Whoo hoo!" Lily leapt in the air, landing on Violet's back and wrapping her legs and arms around her in a celebratory hug. "We did it, partner."

"Hmm." Violet nodded sagely, closing her eyes and folding her arms, trying to look composed despite having the smaller girl hang off her. "You did well. I will praise you."

"Hehehe… I'm gonna be praised."

"Best three out of five! We almost had you that time!" Rue stumbled around blindly, pointing an accusatory finger at where she assumed Violet and Lily were.

"Over here." Wanda sighed, turning her partner so she was pointing correctly. "I am getting rather hungry… perhaps we should just give up? I do not believe fate is on our side for this endeavor."

"And have to pay for their meal!?" Rue crossed her arms and let out a defiant humph.

"So childish." Violet chided, making extra sure she put enough volume in her voice for Rue to hear.

"What was that!?" Rue stomped her foot angrily in the sand, kicking it up and causing Wanda to cough.

Violet rolled her eyes at her teammate's theatrics and for the first time took notice of the massive crowd that surrounded them.

"Hey, Lily?"

"What's up, partner?"

"Who are all these people?"

"Beats me."

"Do you… know why they're here?"

"I think to watch us play volleyball."

That sounded kind of silly to Violet.

After all, it had only been a normal game.


	50. Noir Arc and the Beginning

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Noir Arc and the Beginning_

* * *

He glanced over the rest of the girl again. She was familiar somehow. It shouldn't have been possible because he'd never seen her before in his life. He would remember someone like her. Yet he couldn't place what it was he was drawn to.

She had on heavy boots, completely unfit for her tiny legs. Baggy dark pants concealed by the brown of a welder's apron. A white cloth shirt that was covered in soot with the sleeves rolled up, exposing her lower arms. She was thin, almost malnourished. Blue eyes just like Jaune and incredibly long black hair tied in a twirled ponytail, a white bow holding it together towards the base.

Finally, twisted mangled hands. Ah, that was what it was. Jaune realized it all at once.

"Ah, so you noticed. I'm a glyph bearer, just like you." The girl shook her head slowly, black ponytail swinging exaggeratedly with the subtle motion. "Actually, it would be more accurate to say I am the original glyph bearer."

"The original… glyph bearer?" Jaune's whole body went lax, dropping his guard in disbelief. If it was a ruse to attack him, the girl didn't make good of it, instead continuing her self-introduction.

"Although, telling you just that probably doesn't mean anything. Perhaps it would make more sense to tell you I was a blacksmith beyond compare… the person who forged the Seven Sacred Arc Swords and breathed into them a part of my soul."

"Then you're-"

"That all ended… when I was betrayed by the family I created the swords for and became the first soul of a human my Gluttony ever consumed."

"My ancestor, Noir Arc."

There was a pause. Then she smiled at him gently. Far too kindly for the person that created evil, family-murdering swords.

"If you already know my name, that makes this easier."

"Easier-" Jaune paused and glanced again at Coco. She was shaking her head at him and if he could see her eyes behind the sunglasses he knew they would be pleading with him not to buy into whatever it was Noir was trying to sell him on. Against his better judgement, he ignored the warning and turned back to his ancestor. "Isn't the word I would use. What do you want, coming to talk to me like this?"

Her smile had yet to vanish, but it did shift slightly. It was one he was kind of familiar with, reminding him of that smile Ciel gave when she had dirt on you that you didn't even know about. He hated that smile. "I'll answer all the inquiries you have… but first-" Noir lifted one of her mangled hands and pointed directly at his own damaged fists. "In exchange for information, I require a favor."

"...What kind of favor?" He felt like he was repeating himself and this conversation was only just starting. That almost surely wasn't a good sign and yet he felt an inexplicable urge to want to continue it anyways.

"Not anything you'll be uncomfortable with. To explain the nature of the favor, you'll need to understand what it is I'm about to impart onto you." Noir's answer was naturally as cryptic as he expected. No one could ever just be forthright anymore. Or was that the right logic to apply with Noir? It wasn't "anymore" for her, considering she'd been alive over a thousand years ago.

"Okay…" He kept trying to bit his tongue, but his mouth just kept moving anyways. "but what exactly is it you're going to tell me?"

Noir Arc's smile only got bigger.

" _Everything_."

Jaune and Coco shared a quick glance. That promise sounded too good to be true and after what happened with Envy… and he wasn't exactly in the mood to take chances. Not to mention he could feel the tremors in the background as his friends continued to battle.

"She's buying for time." Coco turned for her bag. It lay next to Olivia, who Noir was still just behind of. No way to get to it expect by going right through her. Which might have been possible considering she was dead. "We shouldn't trust her."

"I have no need to stall." Noir giggled. It was absolutely melodic, a noise lost to the planet centuries ago. "Despite appearances, I am not allied with Gluttony or her ambitions. Besides, she's already left and only three spirits remain. Do you really think your eldest sister's teammates incapable of handling them?" She had a point, but how did she even know about that? Nothing would happen so long as Rue had control of the situation, but there was no reason Noir should have that kind of knowledge.

"We better not regret this." Coco crossed her arms and dropped down to her butt, glaring up at Noir over the rims of her glasses. She seemed to realize that Jaune was going to agree in the end no matter how reluctantly he was trying to pretend he was. "If you're gonna talk then talk. 'Everything' sounds like it's going to take some time."

"Then we have come to terms." Noir nodded without Jaune even getting to say anything. It seemed everyone knew him better than he did, dammit. Ignorant to his internal conflict, she pulled at the welder's apron she was wearing and gave a small curtsey with it as if it were a dress. "Once again… My name is Noir Arc and I am the blacksmith that forged the Seven Sacred Arc swords."

She released the apron and held up the back of her hands for him to see. "The Shatter Glyphs were not created to prevent thievery. I imagine the true purpose was lost over the centuries… but the glyphs have only continued to be branded on a new generation because of distrust and avarice."

Jaune tilted his head and checked his ears for wax. He'd heard her words. Heard them and not in the least bit understood them. "Umm ...what?"

She giggled again. "Perhaps I should start with what led me to create the Shatter Glyphs? In order to do that, I will also need to tell you why I forged the Seven Sacred Arc Swords."

"That's fine…" He drawled, not sure at all where she was going with any of this.

"Very well then." She nodded in satisfaction and launched into her story without further delay. He would almost say she was kind of excited to talk about it. Most likely it had been quite a long time. "In the age I come from, Man had not yet discovered the miracle of Dust. We only had our own Semblances and what weapons we could craft for protection against the Grimm. Those weapons were quite primitive compared to what you have now. Spears, swords, pikes, hammers, and the like. They didn't transform and they most certainly were not also a gun. Forging them too took time. Often too much time. We were being overrun by Grimm and we couldn't build weapons fast enough to fend them off.

"This is where I came in. At a young age, my Aura was unlocked as our village was on the brink of extinction. Every woman and child was expected to contribute. If we didn't we were all going to die. Luckily for us, it was discovered that my Semblance was the ability to transmute matter; what Man would presently call Alchemy. What's more, I wasn't half-bad at it. Using my talents, I was able to arm the whole village and we fought to push back the Grimm. Sounds like it should have a happy ending, right?"

Noir paused, as if waiting for his input. The muscles around Jaune's mouth twitched several times, unsure whether to smile or not. Was it supposed to be a joke? There was no way her story had anything like a happy ending considering the means by which she was standing in front of him now.

"Unfortunately it didn't work out that way." Then Noir continued as if the pause hadn't even happened, either giving up on the joke or having just stopped for dramatic effect. "Even with my weapons and the speed at which I could make them, the battles were still hard… and eventually we were overrun. I thought for sure we were all going to die. My five brothers. My father. Me. It seemed like the end was coming.

"And then it didn't. When things were at their darkest, a great warrior came brandishing a Living Weapon with extraordinary power. It spit fire and set the Grimm ablaze. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen in my whole living life." Noir paused, looking at the flames nearby that had once been Jaune's childhood home as if recalling those first flames she saw. "Maybe it's a little too much information, but I think that was the first time I had ever found myself sexually aroused."

"Definitely too much information." Jaune and Coco deadpanned in such perfect sync he almost thought he was with his twin.

Noir smiled almost victoriously and he knew for a fact now she had been trying to get him to laugh earlier. With such awkward and terrible humor as that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. She was an Arc alright. All his family's awkward genes could be traced right back to the source. "Moving on." Noir tried to brush it aside in typical Arc fashion even too. "My family and the village were thankful for his help. He stopped with us for a while. I almost think to brag. While everyone else was busy singing him praises... I was jealous."

She let out a scoff very familiar to Jaune. He was the same. No matter how much he wanted to be happy for his sisters and all their new fame, he couldn't help but feel the bad taste in his mouth. His jealousy and how much he wished it could be him disgusted him. It wasn't a feeling he wanted to have, but one he couldn't help but have.

"It was a great blow to my Pride." Noir continued, oblivious to the same feelings they shared at that moment. "Having someone else's weapon outshine my own. So I began researching Living Weapons and the way they were made. While he was with us, I studied his weapon every waking moment and constantly pestered him with questions. Living Weapons were created by means of permanently fusing our Aura with a weapon to give them a Semblance of their own. This method was… extremely taxing and the power of the weapons ranged greatly… more often than not the results weren't worth the price paid.

"I think I was… fourteen, when I was finally confident enough to create one of my own. However, I decided to add my own flare to the process. As you can guess, discarding a fragment of my soul, one consisting of a core sin I had as a human being. After all, what better to combat the evil of Grimm than the evil of the human heart?

"And thus, the rapier Lust was born."

Noir spread her arms and held them up as if holding the sword again for the first time ever, a nostalgic twinkle in her blue eyes.

"The result… was far beyond what I or anyone else could have predicted. Lust was even greater than what that warrior who protected us had used. I gifted the sword to my father and he went on to become a powerful hero, respected by the neighboring villages. Soon, the protection granted by Lust allowed us to expand. Our population boomed as people came from miles away to a village that promised absolute security. Treaties with other villages came about and we formed a network of communication and trade.

"However, as our town grew… so did its troubles.

"The larger the population, the more Grimm were drawn to us. Lust was no longer enough to protect everyone by itself as I had only created it with the intent of our small village and family. My five older brothers and I had aged in that time and they were all fine warriors in their own right. So one at a time, I whittled away at my soul and created them each a sword as well, until you have now the Seven Sacred Arc Swords. The second sword, Sloth, I kept for myself. With their unrivaled power… we finally achieved the peace of mind and security we had always desired. My family and their loved ones no longer had to live in fear of the Grimm. For a time… even I was happy."

The smile on Noir's face slipped, replaced by a displeased frown. The way she was telling the story had begun to change. The humorous tone in her voice was no longer there. Nor was any other kind of emotion, at least not one Jaune could detect. Not sadness, nor anger. Just... nothing.

"Then I discovered the truth. By sacrificing my sins… I gave up the core part of my personality. The things that made me who I am. Without a personality or a sense of self, I could no longer use my Semblance. I could not perform Alchemy. That by itself wasn't enough of a problem. Without my greed or my pride, so too gone was the desire and wish to seize those powers back. What opened my eyes and made me create the glyphs was something else.

"That brave warrior who had saved us returned. He was from a faraway city of his own, one that had long established stability and trade routes. Both our city and his had the largest populations of humans in the history of Man up to that point. His demands were simple. They had heard about the power of my swords and as payment for what he'd done for us all those years ago, they wanted three of them. My family refused, claiming they needed all the swords to maintain our present way of life.

"War was threatened and suddenly the swords I had created to protect humanity against the Grimm was about to be pointed against itself. Still I did nothing. My true intent had always been to protect the family I loved. I perhaps felt something akin to pity for the once great warrior who had protected us but I decided there was nothing I could do. Without my Semblance it wasn't like I could create more. It was this disinterested and callous attitude that paved the way to tragedy.

"My father was assassinated and Lust stolen."

She said that in the same emotionless tone she'd said the whole last part of the story. Jaune shivered, finally beginning to realize what it was Noir truly meant when she said she'd lost her emotions and Semblance. She still didn't have any of that. Nothing had changed and she hadn't ever reclaimed her sins. What did that make the jokes she had been cracking earlier and that personality? Was it just a habit? Some kind of memory of how she thought she used to act? Jaune didn't know and he didn't want to know. Instead, he continued to listen to her story.

"Tensions had mounted between our cities and the desire for my swords had grown unmanageable. Even up until the end my father had tried negotiating with them to find a peaceful solution… and that was their response. I was beside myself with grief. Not only were my swords threatened for war, but they became the reason my father was killed. My brothers swore revenge and set out to take back the sword. While they did this, I devised a plan to destroy them and prevent further harm from coming to my family.

"And thus next, the Shatter Glyphs were born."

Noir once again indicated to the marks on the back of her hands and then to the same ones on Jaune's. He felt them itch and ache, just by having attention drawn to them. Regardless, he pushed past it, completely enraptured with the tale at this point.

"The glyphs are actually a transmutation circle traced onto your bones. Although you wouldn't know that just looking at a Glyph Bearer's hands. Your Aura tries to heal the damage which is what creates that inconsistent and asymmetric pattern. Regardless, it's the marking on the bones that count and by filling those markings with the Ambiance from Sloth, I was able to partially restore my Semblance at the cost of permanently maiming my hands. It wasn't complete, only enough to perform deconstruction, but that was all I needed to destroy the swords.

"The first one I intended to break was Lust, so I left Sloth intact and set off after my brothers. When I arrived at the rival city… it was devastated. My five brothers had razed the whole thing to the ground, butchering everyone; women, children, they didn't discriminate in their blind rage. The great warrior who had once saved us was the only one left, but that was by the twisted design of my brothers' intent.

"He held Lust but could not wield its power, having been incompatible. The sword he had stolen and killed for brought nothing but death, destruction, and helplessness on his people. Only once I arrived did my brothers kill him, murdering our father's assassin in front of my eyes. I became filled with even greater disgust at what my swords had turned them into. That wasn't the act of my family, but strangers consumed by something evil.

"I explained to them my intent and moved to reclaim my Lust, underestimating how far they had fallen and the extent to which they would go to not lose the swords. When I turned on them, it was our youngest brother who stabbed me in the back with Gluttony and pierced my heart. It was at that moment Gluttony's true ability was discovered and I was assimilated into the scythe.

"Following that betrayal, my brothers took Lust and Sloth, attempting to pass them onto their own children to find compatibility. Lust worked, but Sloth did not. The Seven Sacred Arc Swords would never work in tandem together again until your sisters.

"My brothers remained too far gone and eventually they started to kill one another in a bid to take the swords for their future lineage. Also disgusted by the death and betrayals, my nephew, Noah, branded himself with Sloth in the same way I had. He then threatened to destroy the swords if my remaining two brothers and their families did not come to terms.

"It worked this time… the fear of losing even one sword and the exhaustion at all the death already enough to stay their madness. And thus, the tradition of passing down Shatter Glyphs along with the swords started; not to protect from external thievery like you have been told, but to prevent Arcs from wiping themselves out… all in exchange for the life of one person per generation.

"That is your legacy, Jaune. You and your sisters are descended from a selfish, deranged, family-killer, as is every single living person with Arc blood. It's not wrong to say that my sins view you all as a disease… and is likely the true reason behind their mass murder spree. They're simply finishing what should've been done and almost was from the very beginning."

Noir went silent. And in her silence, Jaune's mind could only reel as he tried to make sense of her story and all the information it provided. Even with all those answers, he still had so many questions. "Why did the swords wait so long to do this?" He felt guilty right after asking. She had just given him this incredible story and he didn't even take the time to let it soak in before he asked her something.

Not that she seemed to mind, answering without pause. "The swords did not have sentience initially. Their power was much more limited back when they were first created as was their Ambiance. As they grew older, so too did their Ambiance grow stronger until it was far larger than even the Aura of an average human. With that age and Ambiance came personality. However, they were incomplete. It was only in moments when all seven were wielded in tandem that they could trigger a reaction and suppress your sisters' Aura."

Noir paused and seemed to consider her next words carefully. "At least, that's my best guess."

"Your best guess!?" Jaune found that hard to believe. Even if she was separate from them, those swords were still a part of her, weren't they? No, that couldn't be right. If that was the case, Noir wouldn't have been as empty as she was. It still seemed impossible to believe she had no part in this.

"Please don't look at me like that." Noir looked truly and deeply wounded by whatever face it was he was currently making. Even he didn't know what his expression must have been right now, but it had been enough to even hurt a dead woman. "I really didn't have any part of this aside from being the one to create the swords. I don't have any kind of desire for revenge. I'm sure I would have if my Wrath was still a part of me and that's the truth. However, as I am now that's just not possible."

"So what?" Coco lacked any kind of remorse that Jaune currently felt. "Your swords had to work together to get free and had a goal, right? If that's the case, why did things go to shit for them right after and they started betraying one another?"

"Again, it's just a theory." Noir restarted slowly, still looking with some slight dejection at her descendent. "They waited to take over until the most optimal moment, once all your sisters were strong enough to hold their own and when a mass number of Arcs were gathered in one place. It was a plan they had been fostering for centuries and while still swords they were patient. It was only when they attained human bodies that their individual natures came out and those plans started to unravel."

Again Noir paused, waiting patiently for his next question. Which was an easy one for him to choose, as it seemed it always came back to that question in his mind to the point he asked it every day.

"Why spare me?" That was the part that made the least sense to him. He was the biggest obstacle in their path, so why would Pride have let him live that night at the beginning? Even if she thought he would one day join them, the risk was simply too great.

"To answer that," Noir placed a hand over her heart. "Let me talk about Gluttony and Pride for a moment."

"Talk about whatever you gotta." Coco snapped dryly, sending an annoyed glance towards Jaune. She seemed to be getting fed up with this whole conversation, not finding any of it as fascinating as he still was. He didn't want to admit it, but he almost didn't want it to end. The more he talked to Noir and the more he wanted to know. She could tell him so much and probably more than he could even think to ask.

"Pride is my strongest sin," Noir said that as if in direct rebuttal to Coco, giving her a lopsided grin. "It was the emotion I felt most powerfully and my biggest flaw as a human. In contrast, Gluttony is by far my weakest." She patted her thin, nearly malnourished frame for emphasis.

"Gluttony seems plenty strong to me." Coco mumbled under her breath, a fact Jaune agreed with. They had nearly gotten wrecked by it and only a fraction of its souls were here. In fact, of all the swords, Gluttony might have even concerned him more than Pride at the moment.

A sentiment Noir seemed to disagree with. "Gluttony has become incredibly powerful over the course of time, but it was a very slow process. This is not for her own power, but the powers she steals from others. For all the power she has obtained, however, she cannot control me."

"Why is that?" That possibly should have been his first question, as up until this point he could have been talking to Gluttony pretending to be Noir in order to buy time and come back with greater numbers. If that wasn't the case, then why was Noir different from the rest of the souls Gluttony had killed?

"Every soul consumed becomes a subsidiary of Gluttony. However, Gluttony was already a subsidiary of me. I am bound to the scythe in the sense that I am dead and have to return to it after so much time, but it does not control me. That is Gluttony's biggest shame. She wishes to become the strongest sin, even more so than Pride, thinking that will allow her to somehow become me. To achieve this, she is trying to absorb as many Arcs as possible. Which is Gluttony's true goal… and you, Jaune, stand in the way of that goal."

"Wait… I thought Gluttony wanted to keep me alive?" When all the other swords had come after him, it had been Gluttony and Pride alone that hadn't. Gluttony had seemed pretty upset when Envy had cut off his arm too, knowing he was going to die.

Noir shook her head adamantly, black-ponytail swinging with an almost mesmerizing motion. "No, Gluttony is the one who wants you dead the most. You being a Glyph Bearer makes you the closest to me and Gluttony wants to absorb you and your glyphs, thinking she will somehow be able to use them. Pride is the only sin that wishes you alive. As you may have noticed… your glyphs are getting stronger with each subsequent sword you break. Which brings us to Pride's goal."

"Are you saying Pride wants me to break the swords?" That was crazy... but if he thought about it, that was his only purpose in life so if someone was going out of their way to keep him alive, that would be the only real reason to do it.

"Yes and no." Noir's nose crinkled and she seemed to struggle with how to continue. "What Pride wants is for you to become strong… which she can test by having you destroy the other swords after defeating them in combat. That way, when she fights and kills you… she can verify for herself that she is the strongest and most powerful. It's all for the sake of her vainglory.

"It was with these opposing goals, that Pride and Gluttony's underhanded competition began. Gluttony is not strong enough to challenge Pride in outright combat, which is why she thinks she needs to kill you. So she started a dangerous game of chess the night they took over, using all the other sins as pawns.

"Lust attacking you was no accident. Gluttony goaded her into seeking you out, thinking to mask her betrayal by using Lust's unstable personality. It didn't work and you won. Gluttony lost her chance to kill you when Pride ordered the rest of the swords retreat. Pride then left you there that night because she knew she couldn't necessarily protect you from the other swords. Then Ozpin took you in and Gluttony lost another chance to go after you immediately.

"So what Gluttony did next was begin poisoning the other swords against Pride, appealing to Greed, Wrath, and Envy's newfound desire to live as humans. She convinced them that the only way to do that was to kill you. Pride noticed this but instead of punishing Gluttony, saw a chance.

"Sloth is subservient to Pride, and under her orders pretended to get taken in by Gluttony's promises. When in reality she was actually there to set you up in situations where you would fight the others one on one. Everything up to that point went in Pride's favor as you defeated Greed and then Wrath.

"Even with this game of deception between them, the two still seemed to be in agreement to wipe out the Arc lineage. So they moved onto that for the meantime… but then you came here. Gluttony had posted Roman to protect the book with the transmutation design for the glyphs under Pride's orders but when you showed up she saw a chance to kill you without Pride's interference.

"She brought Envy, promising her freedom if she helped kill you. However, what Gluttony wanted was to absorb your soul while you were complete and add another glyph bearer to her collection. Envy betrayed her by cutting off one of your glyphs. Seeing as you were dead either way, Gluttony left and abandoned Envy, not even conceiving that you could somehow survive, let alone kill Envy in that state. As we talk… she is no doubt informing Pride that you're dead."

Then this whole time... he had just been a pawn being used by Pride? Every single move he made up to this point, every sister he saved, just another part of a game he didn't even know they were playing? If that really were true, then thanks to Noir that changed now. If the swords really thought he was dead it might be better to let it play out that way. It would allow him to move without their taking him into consideration.

Not that he even understood why he was still alive. Losing one of the glyphs was death sentence. Guaranteed. Yet here he was, still alive and talking to a someone who wasn't. "Why did my arm reattach when I shattered Envy?"

"That would be because-" Noir clapped her hands. It seemed like a random gesture, but Jaune felt some deep meaning to it as it felt like there was some kind of raw energy that just passed through his body when she did. "Your glyphs have gotten strong enough to the point that they're now capable of more than just deconstruction. Your glyphs performed transmutation and used the energy from the sword's destruction to heal you."

"Okay… how?"

Noir sighed.

"The glyphs replace your true Semblance by overriding it with mine, or a fraction of it at least. Now that your glyphs are stronger they're closer to what my Semblance originally was. I cannot say for sure but it might even be possible for you to perform transmutation on your own, although it will likely cost the cooldown of both glyphs." Both cooldowns wouldn't exactly be much of a hindrance, since with four swords gone he should be at ten seconds now. The problem was...

"I wouldn't even begin to know anything about how to transmute... this is way too sudden." He looked down at his hands. Never did he think they would allow him to do anything more than destroy. Let alone one day give him the ability to create.

"If that book you came for survived the explosion it should contain within it all the basics. You won't necessarily be an expert... but it is my Semblance you're using, odds are you could achieve something."

"You're a glyph bearer... couldn't you teach me?" He felt pathetic, like he was asking her to stick around and not leave him. Like he had somehow come to care over when that was the last thing he should feel towards this person. "And what about destroying the swords yourself?"

"The dead cannot use Alchemy."

"I see…" He really didn't but it also didn't look like she cared to elaborate further. "...what about the former Glyph bearers? Why do they die when a new one is marked?"

"Glyph bearers die because my Semblance is passed on from the old bearer to the new one. Any person that has the core of their soul ripped out from them would perish, this isn't a concept unique to the glyphs. That's why Semblance replication and transference is considered a taboo science." Noir recited this information like a dictionary, as if it was just something she only memorized.

"You know an awful lot for someone who's been dead for centuries." Coco noted this with no small amount of sarcasm.

At this, Noir let out another quick giggle. "Listening to what's going on in the outside world is considerably more tolerable than paying attention to the thousand souls Gluttony has consumed bicker amongst one another." Her words reminded him that Amethyst had commented before on how she could hear the souls of the scythe screaming.

She was staring directly at Jaune again, looking at him almost like his mother used to. "You don't know it, but I've always been there. I've been watching silently all this time over all of you. Every single time one of you was born, I was there."

Hearing that, Jaune blurted out the next words without even thinking. "Why didn't you ever come out before now?"

"And do what, exactly?" His mouth opened and then snapped shut, having not expected her to answer his question with one of her own. Noir gave a bitter laugh at his speechlessness and begin fiddling with the end of her long ponytail absentmindedly. "I did enough damage while alive... my family fell apart because of me. It was better for everyone if I just stayed inside Gluttony and repented for all eternity. That was what I thought... but today I saw you."

"Me?"

"You and I are fairly similar, Jaune. And I do not just mean because we're both Glyph Bearers. Both of us were the only gender among our siblings. We both loved our family and would do just about anything for them. We're both crushed by an overwhelming sense of guilt. Unlike me, you've pushed beyond your guilt and are trying to do the right thing... I guess you could say I felt a little inspired?"

So they really were similar after all. He thought perhaps it had been his imagination... but what she said confirmed it. How much of that was even real? Were they only similar to one another because he had been branded with her Semblance or would he have turned out like this anyways? He could probably ask her and she would tell him... but he was tired of all this and he wasn't even sure he wanted to hear the answers. There was no point in thinking about what might have been.

"I guess... I just have one question left."

"Just one?" She winked at him playfully.

He tried his best to ignore it. "...What do you want me to do for you?"

Noir's smile transformed… but this time, it felt different. He couldn't say for sure why, but he felt bad for her. No, he knew why. This was a girl that had tried to do the right thing and all she received for her efforts was death and betrayal. Some part of him... sympathized with her. With that sympathy came an earnest desire to want to do whatever favor she asked. That desire still failed to prepare him for the words Noir said next.

"Please, Jaune... free me from Gluttony."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Such exposition. Much backstory. Wow.

This was a big chapter for me. Not only is it the fiftieth but I finally got to answer most of the questions this story created and kind of retroactively explain why things happened the way they did since the very beginning. I hope it was all sensible. There's still a lot more going on but this at least covers a pretty big section of the stuff.

Originally this chapter I wanted to start off with the other group finishing their fights but I didn't care for the flow it created, so I pushed that back to the next chapter. Which made this whole one about Jaune and Noir. Was her backstory even interesting? I hope so, as I've updated it pretty recently to make it flow a little better too.

I didn't delete the original omake, but bumped it into one part with the next chapter so you can read that full omake there. While I was rewriting this chapter, I felt inspired to write a new omake, one that came from Noir's own past and showed her when she was younger and so much different than the girl Jaune met in this chapter.

* * *

 **Omake 44**

 _Noir Arc and the Hero_

* * *

This is the story from over a millennia ago.

One that no one has ever told.

That would because no one remembers it anymore.

It's lost.

The people involved are long since dead.

However, at one point and during one time…. they had certainly been alive.

Noir Arc padded bare-foot through her little village.

She was skinny. Far too skinny. There weren't any other girls her age in the village to compare to, but everyone said it about her anyways. For twelve-years of age, she looked far more like she was seven with the petite, malnourished frame she had.

Most of them joked it was because all her nutrients went to that hair of hers. It was pitch black, so dark that at night it was completely invisible and when the sun shined on it, you might have thought it was a wormhole that sucked in the light, never to be seen again. It was impossibly long, hanging past her butt and going halfway down her legs too. This seemingly unmanageable mess was tied neatly together in a twirled ponytail that was held together at the base by a cute, white bow.

"Wha'cha looking for, pipsqueak?" To him, that wasn't her most striking feature. As she spun towards his voice, her crystal blue eyes like sapphires were always what stood out to him most. They were filled with bottomless curiosity. Always looking to know more and always trying to understand.

"You know very well what it is I desire, Sir." She stalked up to him with an adorable pout, fit for the age she appeared to be for but probably not for the age she actually was. At least, it would have been adorable if not for the fierce glare behind those same blue eyes he found so striking. There was something else in them that also made him uncomfortable. Her curiosity wasn't for the sake of knowledge itself. It was for something more. Some greater purpose he couldn't understand and that he didn't want to understand.

"Yeah, yeah." He tried to ignore it by turning his gaze towards the sword on his hip. "Also, don't call me Sir. I have a name, you know? It's-"

"Sorry, but I don't really care what your name is." She cut him off with that prideful and haunting tone she always had when speaking to him. "It's troublesome to remember each and every person's face as it is but asking me to remember their name on top of that is a bit much."

"Right, sorry. I forgot." He gave a small chuckle which only seemed to upset her more, pout becoming deeper and more pronounced. Only to vanish immediately when he pulled the short sword off his hip, handing it to her. The smile that took its place was radiant, completely unlike anything he had ever seen her give to anything or anyone else.

This girl was something else. Aside from her family, she didn't seem to much care for other people. All the village said so too and although he'd only been here for a short few days now he think he understood their sentiments. All the same, they all sang her nothing but praises. At only twelve years of age, she was the most respected blacksmith for miles.

He had come to this town specifically in search of her at first, hoping to find someone who could further understand his sword. When he arrived, they had been under a particularly nasty Grimm assault and so he lent a hand. If only too because he was hoping to earn some favor with this supposedly legendary smith of unequaled skill. When he found out it was this little girl, he'd almost laughed. Watching her handle his sword, however, he thought maybe there was some truth to it after all. It was almost like she never looked at the exterior, but was studying the inside of it. The soul of the weapon itself.

It was almost awe-inspiring, except for the fact that no matter how long he watched her he couldn't tell exactly what it was she was seeing. The other day he'd asked her to explain it and she'd simply told him "Idiots wouldn't understand" and left it at that.

"This sword feels very much like you." She finally said something after almost five full minutes of silence. For perhaps the first time since they'd met, it felt like she was truly looking at him. Studying his fiery red hair tied in a short ponytail. The rugged, still adolescent beard on his face and green eyes that had already seen so much death.

He shifted uncomfortably on the rock he sat on while under her gaze, straightening himself out a little in the process. It was almost embarrassing to be made to feel this way by a girl four years his junior. "Well, I would imagine so." He still managed to speak in a voice that belied his actual feelings, sounding strong and confident as always. "It was made by taking a piece of my Aura, after all."

He didn't understand what that meant but it seemed to mean something to her as she placed a hand under her chin and looked up at the bright blue sky. "Hmmm… taking a part of your Aura and placing it inside a weapon. Certainly sounds feasible… but what would have to be lost to accomplish such a thing?" She muttered not to him, but to herself.

"I'm right here, you know." She blinked in what might have been shock, looking at him as if she only just remembered despite having been scrutinising him so deeply not more than a minute ago. "You've said it yourself, I'm not very bright. If you got questions, I can try and answer them at least. I don't know what to make of what happened to me either when those warlocks made that sword by forcibly ripping out my Aura. You might be able to, however. So let's work together. At least that way maybe we'll both get something out of this, yeah?"

"Hmm…" Noir crossed her arms, sword still in hand and tapping her bare-foot against the dirt ground she stood upon. Just how much did she not want to work with him that she had to think this hard about it? "...Very well then." She finally relented. "Nothing can be gained without first giving something up. I suppose this too is also like my Semblance."

"Sure, whatever that means." He hopped off the rock and stood straight in front of her. "It's my pleasure to be working with you, partner." He extended his hand.

She appeared to misunderstand his intentions and instead returned the sword to him. It took all his effort not to sigh and instead he slid the sword back inside its sheath. No sooner did he finish the action than did she grab his hand, but still not for a handshake.

"W-where are we going?" He stuttered as the girl nearly half his size dragged him along.

"My home." Noir stated as if it was a matter of course. "I have to cook for my brothers and father. Since you and I will be working together, you might as well join us. It will also save me the time of having to come searching for you again."

"Heh," He couldn't see her face with her back to him, but the tops of her ears were a distinctive shade of red despite the severity of her own words. "Not cute at all."

"Who said anything about wanting to be cute!" Noir shouted and while he couldn't be sure, he thought she was walking with heavier steps after too. It wasn't a particularly powerful moment, but all the same he would remember the sound of her bare feet stomping on the dirt path all the way until his final moments.

It was a story he never told anyone else.

It was a moment Noir never wanted to talk about.

It was a second in time that created history for a thousand years to come.


	51. Inspiration

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Inspiration_

* * *

"Take this!" Yang swung hard from the left.

Arslan swung from the right.

Their two fists met in the middle, the purple orb that housed Ace's soul between them.

 _Boom_

The orb never stood a chance, the combined forces of the two powerhouse girls shattering it into hundreds of tiny pieces and dispelling the flame pirate for good. A small shockwave radiated out from the shattering, knocking both girls off their feet and sending them sprawling.

Ordinarily, Yang could have shrugged it off no problem. It shouldn't have even knocked her down, but that was just how exhausting that battle had been. It had taken her, Blake, Arslan, and Reese together just to create that split second chance to finally hit him before he just blasted them with flames again.

She couldn't just continue to lay here, however. Jaune needed her help. With a small grunt of exertion she propped herself up by the elbows. Just that caused her vision to swim and the world to look like it tilted.

She checked her scroll and only saw the blurry outline of a red sliver. If she had to guess, she would say that red line was what was left of her Aura. Maybe only about a couple percent? As her vision came back into focus she saw Arslan wasn't in much better shape, visibly struggling to her knees.

That bastard had seriously been way too strong.

They weren't going to be of much help in their current state, but Yang wasn't about to let that stop her.

"I got you." Blake stumbled up next to Yang, wrapping an arm around her back and helping her back to her feet.

"Thanks, partner." Yang grinned sideways and draped an arm heavily over her shoulder. With Ace finally gone and no longer creating walls of fire in their path, they set forward.

 _Whack_

The two of them only made it about two steps before something hard struck them in the middle of the back and sent them collapsing forward.

"You kids just don't know when to give up." Roman sneered, taking long exaggerated steps around to the front. "Always a thorn in Torchwick's side while alive, I suppose it only makes sense you would continue be now that he's a part of me." He lifted Melodic Cudgel and pointed the base of it atop Blake's head. "That ends now."

 _Bang_

The arm holding the cane blew off, disintegrating into wisps.

"You're damn right it does." Reese was holding a pistol with one hand, hefting Arslan up with the other. With a flick of the wrist, Arslan tossed her dagger at Roman and the tip buried itself in his calf. She then gave a yank at the string attached to the end and caused Roman to tumble.

Brandishing her katana, Blake pushed off the ground and dove forward, slicing into Roman's neck and lopping his head clean off. The smug bastard's head rolled to the side and the orb inside was exposed.

Bracing herself for what was about to happen, Yang cocked back Ember Celica and discharged a Dust shell right into it. With another shockwave that sent her and Blake tumbling backwards, Roman finally passed on.

"Damn… I think I've had enough." Yang was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to get back up again. She could feel darkness creeping into the edges of her vision.

 _Crash_

Of course, there would be no rest for the weary as the giant form of Annie collapsed in the distance, hitting the earth with such force the four Huntresses-in-training were tossed into the air before slamming back down on the still tremoring ground.

"Taking a cat nap?" Lily grinned cockily down at her and Blake, having landed with a small thud after the ground finally quit shaking.

"Normally I would give you a high five for the pun… but we kind of need to get to Jaune still. In case you haven't noticed, there's a giant naked chick still in our way." Despite saying this, Yang made no move to stand back up, still trying to reclaim even a little bit of energy.

"The fairies inform me that his life is no longer in danger." Wanda strolled up to them, bare feet not creating any noise as she did.

"So there you have it. We just have to finish this and it looks like everything will be done." Lily bounced Fetch around by her knees and elbows, not at all bothered by the returning tremors as Annie began crawling back to her feet. She didn't seem concerned either by the sudden change in Jaune's condition. The way she'd made it sound before he was on the verge of getting killed, at the very least, that he was seriously injured.

"Easier said than done." Rue appeared next to them in a blink, snapping open her shotgun and loading it with another couple shells. "No matter how we hit her, we can't get that orb to appear. Have you figured out what's going on yet, Wanda?"

"I believe the fairies have discovered a solution, yes." Wanda indicated towards the top of Annie's back. "According to them, the real Annie is located in the nape of the neck. We have to get her out of there if we are to then expose the orb."

"Tch, of course it would be something like that." Rue clicked her shotgun shut and scanned the younger Huntresses over before shaking her head. "Looks like it'll just be the three of us."

"What's the play then?" Lily didn't seem distressed about their odds. In fact, all three of them seemed overly calm to Yang despite the fact that Annie was crouching down, taking a running stance as she prepared to charge them.

"Time to put those team attacks Violet spent all that time making us practice into some good use. You better not be rusty, Lily."

Annie took off, the ground beneath her ripping apart as she pushed off.

"Haha, me? I'm more worried about the two of you, taking it easy and exploring the continent. I'm running a militia, you know?"

Yet not a single one of them seemed to take notice, lightly bantering among each other.

"The life of nomads can at times be very demanding. The threat of Grimm is constant."

"I don't mean to interrupt-" Arslan cut Wanda off there, pointing towards Annie who was going to be right on top of them in about another second. "But that threat seems a bit more pressing than the Grimm right now."

"..." Lily, Wanda, and Rue turned just as Annie swung down with a fist big enough to splatter them all. With a tired sigh, Rue nodded to her teammates.

"Witch Hunt."

"Got it!" Wanda and Lily stepped forward.

The latter winding up and whipping her weapon at Annie's incoming fist. With a powerful explosion, Fetch destroyed Annie's hand and stopped her attack. The white orb bounced out of the explosion and arched way over their heads.

Lily made no move for her weapon like she usually did, instead allowing one of the thousands of glowing green creatures that appeared around them to catch it. The fairies then bounced Fetch back at Annie.

This time the titan was prepared, hardening a part of her skin. That was the ability making her most difficult to deal with and Fetch reflected off the crystal-like skin without even so much as scratching her. The fairies had already moved in close, catching Fetch again and bouncing it back at her.

She wasn't able to harden again that quickly and this time Fetch struck her in the back of the knee. Only to have the fairies once again rebound the ball. This continued several more times, the fairies bouncing Fetch at an increasing velocity from multiple directions.

"On my signal, we switch from Witch Hunt to Titania." Rue once again opened her shotgun. Two fairies flew inside the barrel, turning red and fusing with her Dust shells. "Now!"

A majority of the fairies vanished and without them to bounce Fetch around it flew back, heading right for Lily. The faunus caught her weapon with practiced ease while Annie was still recoiling from the barrage of their combined attack.

Rue didn't give her a chance to recover, blinking up into the air and directly in front of her chest. She pointed the barrel at the titan and pulled the trigger. The two red fairies flew out and collided with Annie's chest, creating a controlled explosion that flashed so brightly, Yang had to avert her eyes.

It also blew a hole right through the titan, shooting the true Annie out from the protection of the giant flesh and exposing her.

"Silver and Gold!" Rue yelled from still high in the air. Yang barely heard it over the shockwave of her and Wanda's combined attack but Lily had no such difficulty, already sprinting forward at breakneck speeds.

Lily went under the legs of the crumbling titan and Rue blinked over it. Annie was between them, spinning out of control as she fell. Lily kicked off the ground and launched at Annie's falling form while Rue dived towards her. They intersected at the same time, Rue's swords and Lily's legs tearing Annie apart and exposing the orb.

With a final toss of Fetch, the orb broke apart and they defeated the last spirit Gluttony had left behind.

"Just what the Hell…" Yang couldn't believe it. These girls were beyond incredible… it didn't even look like they broke a sweat to take that thing down. When the rest of them had tried they hadn't even been capable of so much as scratching her.

Compared to them, Yang suddenly just felt insignificant…

"Being on a team led by Violet had its share of difficulties." Wanda's bare feet stepped in front of her and an open palm was offered to help her up. Yang accepted it and as she stumbled to her feet she noticed the pink-haired girl looking over at her teammates.

Lily and Rue had both landed and appeared now to be arguing about their final combo's execution. Well, maybe arguing wasn't the right word to use as they both wore smiles the whole time.

"I was born and raised outside of the Kingdoms. My people were a group of nomads that traveled the continent of Vytal, dictated by the seasons." That certainly explained her sense of fashion. "It is a dangerous life because the threat of Grimm is constant… and there is a proverb my people have passed down for generations."

"And what's that?"

"The caravan is only as fast as its slowest person." Wanda stated this simply and with a deep frown. "It was meant as encouragement, trying to push all the young ones to be their best and not hold the caravan back. Looking at it optimistically, you could even interpret it to mean that no one gets left behind, because we all move to the pace of the person last in line."

"Sounds more to me like you're calling the slowest person a burden." Yang didn't like that saying and she had a feeling Wanda didn't either.

"I agree." Wanda gave a small, mirthful giggle and an exaggerated nod. "Violet did not like the proverb either and had no problems telling me as such. She was adamant that the strength of the team was not determined by one person alone but by the whole."

"It must have been easy for her to say that…" Blake mumbled this under her breath before continuing in a more accusatory voice. "She's strong, right? From what I've heard she's always been strong. Does she even know what it's like to be the weak one? The one that's holding everyone back?"

"Blake…"

"You are right too, of course." Wanda gave Blake an empathetic pat on the head, fingers tracing her bow. "Perhaps early on, I too found Violet's words condescending? There was certainly friction created from the gap in strength between her and us. I think in some ways we all felt like we were holding her back…"

"But Violet never saw it that way?" Yang knew a little what Violet must have felt like in that regard. Ruby went through a phase too where she felt like she was holding her back because of her age and inexperience.

"No, she did not. Violet pushed us all to become stronger… to her, we all together were more powerful than she ever could be by herself. So she took our strength and skill as a point of personal pride. What made her strong wasn't her Semblance or weapon, but her confidence and the drive to constantly improve herself. It's that drive to ensure those around her do the same that made her a great leader and I imagine a great sister as well."

Wanda glanced them all over and gave a small smile.

"When I graduated from Beacon, I returned to my people, along with Rue, and have been putting everything I learned while away into creating a place I can be proud of. No one do I owe more to for that then Violet." She paused, only for a brief moment. "I apologize, I have held us up long enough. I just felt like sharing that with you is all."

"It's cool." While it was true they really needed to find Jaune, Yang would by lying if she didn't admit that Wanda's words made her feel a little better about her performance compared to theirs. These girls were incredible because they pushed themselves to the limits to be that way, all to keep pace with the one who inspired them.

If Yang and her team continued to do the same, they could be there one day too.

* * *

"Jaune!" Olivia bolted upright, indigo eyes wide and darting around in a panic.

Before she could locate him, two gentle hands rested on either shoulder. To her left, she saw Coco smiling down at her. And to her right… was Jaune doing the same, both arms still perfectly attached to his body.

"Hey… you alright?" Jaune greeted her casually, but with deep concern lacing his voice, despite the fact that it should be her who was concerned about him.

"Your… your arm." She thought for sure she had seen herself chopping it off. Part of her wanted to pretend it was just a bad dream. Whisk it away and pretend none of it ever happened. That was made impossible though by the simple reality that he and Coco were here together in front of her right now.

The only way that could have happened was if everything she remembered doing in those… nightmares… was actually true. Which also meant Fox…

Olivia's body shook, both hands coming up to her mouth and tears creeping into the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry… Jaune, Coco. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Knock it off." Coco's words were a whisper, voice not strong enough to sound harsh like she probably intended them. "We already know none of that was you."

"B-but I… Jaune…." She looked back at her younger brother, noticing the black mark on his elbow where she had been positive she lopped the appendage off.

"Here…" Jaune noticed her gaze and took ahold of her hand, bringing it up to touch the mark. "See? I'm good." She could feel a small ridge, almost like a scar where that line was, but it was without a doubt flesh she was touching right then. His flesh.

"But Fox-"

"You can come pay your respects with me when we get back." Coco cut her off, bringing Olivia's attention back to her. She couldn't see her eyes behind the shades, but lips were tucked in a determined scowl, one with the smallest bit of tremor to it.

"...Back?" She finally asked, not sure what she meant by those words.

"To Beacon." Jaune clarified, his own expression soft in contrast to Coco's. "Rouge, Autumn, and Joan are there. And they're all safe. The others… well, they're a work in progress but I'll save them too."

"Jaune…" He seemed… different then she remembered him. More confident now. Lacking doubt of himself and no longer unsure of his purpose. This change was so drastic she found herself wondering how long she had truly been suppressed by that sword. It was strange, but it was like she blinked and Jaune had all the sudden grown up.

"It's alright, Olivia." His hand began to trace small circles on her upper arm, just gentle enough for her to know he was. "I know things are probably confusing and don't make sense right now… but you're safe, and I'm never going to let anything else happen to you."

She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to find the words to say. Nothing quite felt right to her, not at all knowing how to talk to this more confident and self-assured version of her younger brother.

"I'm supposed to be the one to say that to you, dork." She tried to inject a small inkling of humor to her breathless voice, but she was sure it came out more like disbelief instead. It felt like her position of big sister was being taken away and there wasn't anything she could do to get it back.

Jaune gave a small chuckle at her words and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around and pulling her into a tight hug.

"You've looked out for me my whole life." His hot breath tickled her ears and caused an involuntary shiver to run down her spine. "It's my turn now."

Despite herself, Olivia relaxed into his hold. While growing up, Olivia always did her best to emulate Violet. She hated the fact that she was the fourth eldest sibling, because it meant Ciel and Amethyst would never listen to her. So she took great pride in the half of the siblings she was older than… but letting one of them take care of her for once didn't sound so bad either, especially right now.

"Jaune!" The moment between them ended as several other girls began to approach from the distance, appearing around one of the walls of raging flames. Leading the charge, albeit with a noticeable hobble, was a girl with wild blonde hair that Olivia didn't recognize.

"Yang." Jaune pulled back from Olivia, only enough so he could shift around and position himself under her armpits as support. With what felt like an agonizing amount of effort, he helped her up to their feet and they stood there, waiting for the rest of Jaune's team to get up to them.

"Are you okay? What happened?" The girl called Yang stopped just short of running into them, far too close if you asked Olivia as it felt like her personal bubble was being invaded. She would allow it with Jaune because he was the only thing keeping her up and he was her brother, but having this other girl so close made her uncomfortable.

"I'm fine, no worries." Jaune shrugged off the girl's worry just like that and pat Oliva on the shoulder as if for emphasis. "As for what happened, I saved my big sister, Olivia." He nodded towards her and then grinned brightly. "Olivia, this is Yang, my girlfriend."

"..."

"..."

"...I'm going to be honest. That's the strangest thing you've said since I've come to."

Jaune laughed at her words, but Olivia did not mean that to be funny in the slightest. Just what the heck had she missed out on? Had it been years since she gotten possessed? Or maybe she still was and this whole thing was a dream?

"...You sure seem fine." Yang didn't look convinced, checking him over again as if scanning for some injury she missed. "The way Blake made it sound, you were in real danger."

"It wasn't anything I couldn't figure out." Jaune deftly avoided bringing up that his arm had been lopped clean off at one point. An observation Olivia nor Coco put words to. If this girl really was Jaune's girlfriend, it was probably better to just leave such details out, especially since his arm did seem fine enough to be able to hold her up right now.

Although, Yang didn't appear to be the type of girl who was going to fawn over him. In fact, she looked more the type to kick his ass for having gotten injured, so Jaune may have been keeping his lips sealed on the matter out of fear rather than any desire to not make her worry. At the very least, that sounded more like the Jaune that Olivia was familiar with.

"Anyways, further introductions." Jaune pushed the conversation along, perhaps a little too quickly as Yang quirked an eyebrow suspiciously but didn't press the issue. "The black-haired girl is Blake, Yang's partner. They're part of team RWBY, in Joan's grade." Olivia nodded to the still silent girl that stood a ways behind her partner.

"You already know Reese." Olivia might have been surprised that Jaune's ex was also here, but she had been shocked so many times in the short period since she'd woken up, she just didn't have the energy for that anymore. "Next to her is Arslan, her partner and leader." Again, Olivia shared a silent nod of greeting.

"Which just leaves…"

"Yo ho! Olivia!" The familiar voice of Lily called from a little down the ways, the chipper dog faunus skipping around the shattered remains of their home as she jogged over to them, waving wildly. In her memories, Olivia could vaguely recall Wanda and Rue having been here too. No sooner did she think that then did she see those two walking up behind their teammate.

"Looks like you managed to make it work out, after all." Rue said that like she seriously had her doubts, resting a hand on her hip and giving Jaune a once-over. Olivia noticed how she also didn't bother bringing up his restored arm, possibly just shelving that conversation for a later time.

"Somehow, yeah." Jaune gave a nonchalant shrug, eyes drifting down to a book in Rue's hand. "So… it survived, after all."

"This? Yeah." Rue held it up and eyed it with distaste for a couple seconds. "Do you want to destroy it? There's not much to be gained from a book that's going to kill our only shot at destroying the rest of the swords."

"Actually, I want to keep it." Jaune held his free hand out, but Rue didn't immediately hand it to him, instead of cocking an eyebrow suspiciously.

"You have a bad habit of not sharing information until you absolutely have to, Jaune. I'm not sure what changed during this battle, but until you're able to give me a concrete reason as to why you're having this change of heart, maybe I should hold onto it?" The free hand Jaune had extended balled into an unthreatening fist and that arm fell to his side.

"I'll tell you all about it when we get back to Beacon. Ozpin needs to hear it too." If there was a reason he didn't want to say whatever it was here, Olivia had no idea. However, that answer seemed to satisfy Rue.

"That's fine. Until then, I'll just keep it with me if that's no problem." She slipped the book into a small pouch on her waist. Jaune made no move for it, but didn't argue further for the book either.

"I think perhaps we should start to move." Blake's yellow eyes shifted around uneasily and Olivia saw the bow atop her head twitch slightly. "Grimm are being drawn to us." With all the battles they had been fighting here, it was amazing they weren't already surrounded by them. Olivia couldn't see them yet, but they also didn't have much visibility where they were.

"Mind if I ride with y'all?" Lily looked at her last two teammates. "I got dropped off a village over and walked my way from there."

"We most certainly have room." Wanda nodded with a happy smile, turning her eyes to Olivia. "You would be most welcome to join us. I know your family ailment can make traveling difficult but the fairies did tend to have a soothing effect on Violet whenever we went on missions together."

A trip without her motion sickness? That sounded like heaven.

"Please." Why Violet ever traveled anywhere without this girl, Olivia would never know.

"Actually… we may need a ride too." Jaune mumbled sheepishly, eyes downcast and foot drawing circles in the dirt.

"What, why?" He refused to look up at Rue's question and when Olivia glanced around, the rest of the group Jaune had come with looked equally hesitant to provide an answer.

"Just maybe…" Jaune started, slowly. "And I mean, only _maybe,_ but it could've happened. We stole a bullhead from Beacon to come out here and kinda sorta… well, crashed it."

"What!?"

"It was Coco!"

"Oh Hell no, you did not just put that all on me!"

And somehow, Olivia felt a little more her age again.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Nope, you didn't miss anything. I purposely skipped the resolution to the scene with Noir after she asked Jaune for that favor. It'll come up again later.

The team attack names for Violet's team. Don't know if you even care, but I came up with them so I figured I would use them. As for the names: "Witch Hunt" was because the inspiration for Wanda's character came from the Witches and wind sylphs of Berserk (manga) and Lily, is part hunting dog. "Silver and Gold" because Rue's color theme is silver and again, Lily is part Golden Retriever. "Titania" was the queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream and it sounds kind of like Titanium, a metal with a silver-like color, again tying to Rue's color scheme. So that's where they came from.

The omake is kind of long. It used to be two parts, but I updated the last chapter and reworked a lot of Noir's story. While doing that I took the first half of the omake and combined it here.

* * *

 **Omake 45**

 _Rouge vs Cinder_

* * *

"I now have the power of the Fall Maiden! Do you not understand what that means!?"

"Nope."

Rouge didn't understand anything about what this crazy lady in red was spouting. The only thing that mattered was that this woman was behind everything. All of their battles, the raids against the White Fang, the death and destruction that hung in the air around them; This was her doing.

She and the woman stood on the tallest building in the White Fang's last remaining stronghold. The entire outpost below them was burning. It was nothing more than a warzone now as her sisters fought off what was left of the White Fang forces. Violet continued to battle their leader, some bull-faunus with a katana like her.

Autumn had been injured… and Joan was protecting her. The rest of her sisters were otherwise preoccupied with trying to mitigate the other forces. Which meant Rouge was on her own for this battle.

She couldn't let her sisters down. Violet was trusting her with this mission, having said defeating this woman was something only she could do.

The beautiful woman called Cinder Fall chuckled ironically, running a hand through her long, silky black hair.

"Oh how I pity you… Rouge Arc." She said her name easily, as if she had memorized it. "The youngest and weakest of your sisters. Brought into events that you couldn't possibly hope to understand. I know a little of what you must feel. To live in the shadow of other's greatness. Unlike you, however, I sought to break free from those shackles and now I have achieved a power so immense no one can hope to stop me. I'm finally about to realize my destiny."

"You must be mistaken."

Cinder's arrogant smirk slipped into a terrifying scowl.

"What?"

"I do not feel like I live in the shadow of my sisters. I love them all very much and they are all very kind to me. I would not be as strong as I am now if not for them. I apologize if this offends you but I do not believe you understand me at all. You are simply a bad person that does horrible things, claiming it is your destiny. I think that is a very dishonest way to live."

"You ignorant little-" Rouge hadn't meant her words to be a provocation, but Cinder clearly took them as such. The woman in red waved her hands around like a performer, leaving a trail of flames and fire. She then thrust outward, creating a barrage of fireballs that careened at Rouge with devastating intent.

"Oh my." Rouge was impressed. This woman was clearly quite powerful. It was too bad her opponent was such a bad match. With a small flick of the wrist, Fia Vesta took complete control of her enemy's flames.

The fireballs which had once been flying directly towards her curved out of the way at the last second, looping around her body before sailing back at their former master. Cinder did not appear at all surprised by this event.

Instead, she smirked confidently as if having expected this to happen. Two jets of fire appeared beneath the palm of either hand and lifted the woman into the air. She took off into the sky faster than any ordinary person could hope to move.

Rouge twirled Fia Vesta, the fireballs giving pursuit under her command. Cinder could not hope to lose the manipulated flame so easily as she banked hard, flying past Rouge and behind her. The younger girl slowly turned, yellow eyes not losing track of her target as she bobbed and weaved through the night sky, easily distinguishable by the flames she used to propel herself.

The streaks of fire were slowly gaining, maneuvering far more nimbly than a person possibly could. Not to mention there were several more of them than there were of her. Two of the fireballs cut her off, trapping the woman between them and the ones trailing her.

There was no way for Cinder to dodge and she stopped dead in the air, looking for an escape. That split moment's hesitation cost her and she was enveloped in a powerful explosion that rippled the air and shook the building Rouge stood on.

"..." Yellow eyes darted around, looking for any sign of her opponent. Cinder hadn't emerged from the explosion, at least not that she could tell as there hadn't been a disturbance in the residual smoke.

 _Tap_

Rouge heard her long before she saw her. The only indication that she had appeared at all was the subtle scrape of a heeled shoe clicking down behind her. She spun around, coming face to face with Cinder who had created a black bow, already nocked with three equally dark arrows.

With a snap, the arrows flew.

If Rouge had waited until she understood what was happening, it would have been far too late to defend. However, the moment she heard Cinder touch down, Fia Vesta had already activated.

A spinning wall of fire wrapped around Rouge, completely shielding her from the outside world. This was a defense only Rouge could use, her Semblance protecting her from the blistering heat of the flames.

Those flames dissipated quickly, having already fulfilled their goal in protecting her from the arrows. Before they were even completely gone. Cinder surprised her yet again, breaking right through the front of them, waving away the smoldering fire utilizing her own Semblance.

Rouge tried to backpedal but she wasn't nearly quick enough. Cinder's heeled foot lashing out in a kick that caught her wrist. Fia Vesta tumbled from her grip, hitting the ground with a loud clatter before skidding out of reach.

The victorious grin Cinder wore was cut short the second Rouge's foot came up and roundhouse kicked her in the face.

"Gah-" The beautiful woman fell backward, collapsing to the floor without being able to catch herself due to holding her now broken nose. "You bitch!" She hefted the bow up but failed to knock it with an arrow while still obscuring her face.

Rouge never gave her the chance to recover, twisting in and wrapping her legs around Cinder's arm. With an audible snap and another terrible holler of pain, she disarmed her opponent, the black bow collapsing next to Fia Vesta. Unlike her sword, the bow disintegrated, the ashes blowing away in the wind.

"You know martial arts…?" Cinder was forced to place her free hand on the floor just to maintain an upright sitting position. The whole bottom half of her face was covered in blood, masking any of its former beauty.

"My big brother taught me." Rouge took a step back, freeing the arm she had dislocated. It fell limply to the side, of no use to Cinder anymore.

"Brother?" Cinder looked genuinely surprised by this information. Apparently, the research she conducted hadn't been as thorough as she thought.

"Please give up, Miss Fall. I do not wish to hurt you any further." Rouge hated all this violence and bloodshed. She just wanted it to end.

"You think I've lost…?" Cinder let out a derisive snort. "Did you forget that I have the very power of Autumn on my side?"

"I only know one person named Autumn and she is my big sister."

A powerful wind blasted forth, pushing Rouge back and nearly sending her sprawling to the floor.

Cinder's whole body was aglow with an orange energy Rouge had never witness before, her eyes covered by a veil of fire. She rose from the ground, arms spread eagle as if hovering, no sign of her previous flames present. It was as if nature itself was lifting her, dark storm clouds forming in a swirl and generating bolts of lightning directly over them.

It was as if the very power of the season itself was aiding her.

And with it, Cinder looked to have no doubts about her victory.

Rouge supposed she should have been fascinated by these unexplainable events and unfathomable power that her opponent was now putting on display. Maybe she was even supposed to feel afraid, if the terribly smug expression Cinder was giving was any indication.

"Do you understand now?" Cinder's voice boomed as if speaking through the sky itself. "This is my power... the very power of Autumn herself. That which controls the weather. You are but an insignificant speck in front of this overwhelming force."

Instead, Rouge felt none of that.

Maybe if she had, she would've made a last ditch dive for Fia Vesta. There would be no need for that, however, as she finally understood why Violet had been so confident it should be her to battle this woman.

"You should really give up now, Miss Fall. If this is that ability that made you so confident, I am sorry to say it will have no effect on me." She really did feel kind of bad. Cinder had worked for this power her whole life, yet in the end it was all meaningless because of the simple fact that Rouge was born to defeat it.

This wasn't destiny at work or any other kind of divine force at play. It was simply the people they were. Cinder could never defeat Rouge. It was because Violet knew this that they had been pitted against one another.

In other words, this was strategy and nothing more.

Cinder threw her head back, letting out a meticulous laughter that went on for so long even Rouge found herself both bored and annoyed.

"I get it... this power is so great that you truly cannot comprehend what it is they're looking at. You understand nothing of the inner-machinations of this world and yet you are pitted against it, doomed to fail and die. Such a poor soul. However, do not fret. After I dispose of you I will send all six of your sisters and even that pitiable brother to join you shortly after."

For the first time since their confrontation began, Rouge felt herself bristle at Cinder's words.

"Try it." Her voice conveyed with it the unwavering threat promised if Cinder so much as even continued thinking about trying to hurt her precious family.

"You asked for it!" Cinder's outstretched arms swung forward, coming to a stop as they pointed directly at Rouge. The weather itself reacted to her command, the stormclouds rolling and roaring angrily as lightning surged within them.

There was a flash so bright it obscured everything else from existence and blinded Rouge.

 _Crack_

 _Rumble_

Thunder followed behind the lightning strike, rolling deep and low like the storm's that used to scare her awake at night. Rouge could still remember clambering into the twin's bedroom where she would curl up with Jaune and Autumn with Joan. Or more often than not they would all share the same bed together.

"Hahahahahaha-" Cinder's head was once again thrown back, amber eyes looking up at the night sky as her cackling echoed over the entire outpost.

At least, it did until Rouge interrupted.

"I am sorry, but if that attack was meant to kill me, I do not believe it worked."

Cinder's head whipped back down, laugh cutting short so fast Rouge was honestly surprised she didn't choke. Wide eyes looked down at her in disbelief, as if trying to deny the reality in front of them.

"How-"

"Allow me to explain." Rouge had tried to tell her before but she wouldn't listen. "You appear to be under the misconception that my Semblance is the nullification of extreme temperatures; namely heat and cold." She knew this was what Cinder thought because this was what everyone in the world believed her Semblance to be. Everyone in the world except herself and Violet. Not even Jaune knew what it really was.

"However, what my Semblance actually allows me to do is take any weather condition, including temperature, and instead change its attribute to that of one which benefits myself." And what usually benefitted her was sunlight. Rouge never felt better than when basking in the warm glow of the summer's rays.

"But that means-" Cinder stopped, already beginning to realize the implication of her words.

"And since you claimed that this Maiden power allows you to manipulate the weather… well, I am also sorry to tell you, but that makes it useless since any attack you use against me will only make me stronger."

To prove her point, Rouge generated all the power from that last lightning attack, converting it to pure energy which then flashed outwards like a radiant pulse. All of Cinder's storm clouds and other magical effects were reduced to nothing, consumed like nutrition for Rouge's wave which grew so powerful it lit up the whole night sky, briefly giving the illusion of daylight.

The once self-proclaimed omnipotent woman collapsed to the ground, no longer having the power to support her floatation. Her hands and knees hit the concrete surface of the roof with disturbing cracks. And when she looked up at Rouge, still kneeling on the ground, there was nothing left but overwhelming fear.

Rouge normally hated fighting, especially when the battle was already over, but… just this once she would make an exception.

"So Miss Fall…" She stepped forward and Cinder flinch back in fear. "What was it you said you were going to do to my family again?"

She wasn't even going to need Fia Vesta for this.

* * *

"Rouge!" Joan burst out the door to the roof of the building where she knew her youngest sister had gone.

Amethyst had shown up and agreed to take Autumn to safety, giving Joan the freedom to finally move around again. No sooner did that happen and she saw a great big wave of light wash over this very building.

Fearing the worst, she rushed up here as fast as she could…

"Ah, Joan! I am over here!"

...only to feel like an idiot for having worried.

Rouge waved her over excitedly… while sitting on top of the unconscious form of the enemy leader. The normally beautiful woman that had once impersonated a Haven student was beaten black and blue, barely even recognizable anymore.

"Oh my gosh… Rouge, what happened?" Joan walked forward cautiously, feeling slightly terrified herself. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Fia Vesta laying on the ground and out of Rouge's reach. Had her sister actually defeated this opponent using only her fists? That surely wasn't possible.

Rouge looked to bounce the question back and forth for several seconds before giving a nonchalant shrug and a wide smile.

"I won!"


	52. Setting Sun

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Setting Sun_

* * *

"That… is quite the story, Mister Arc." Ozpin leaned back in his chair, eyes betraying nothing about what he was actually thinking.

Rue, meanwhile, had to suck in a breath and just about bite her tongue to keep from spewing the exact words that were on her mind this very moment. Jaune's story… it was just about downright unbelievable.

She honestly couldn't tell if he had made that up on the ride back to Beacon or if he was legitimately telling the truth. If it was the truth, she could kind of understand why he had wanted to wait until they arrived and only had to tell the story once.

Sending a quick glance around, she attempted to gauge the reactions of the others in Ozpin's office. Lily's eyes were naturally hidden behind her bangs and as usual, her face was arranged in what looked like she was happily oblivious to the on-goings around them. Having known Lily for the better part of eight years, however, Rue knew exactly what to look for on her ever optimistic teammate to gather what she was thinking.

The slightest tapping of a finger against her bicep, arms folded and loose shoulders while she leaned lazily against the frame of Ozpin's desk were all Rue needed to know that Lily not only believed Jaune, but was now applying that knowledge to ways to better help Violet and end this whole thing once and for all.

Wanda was staring off into space, no doubt having a silent conversation with her fairy companions to validate the truth of Jaune's words, although the wide-eyed expression she made while doing so only seemed to point further in the direction that he wasn't lying.

"How can you be so sure she wasn't lying to you?" It was the last occupant of the room, Glynda, that finally asked the most crucial question. None of the others seemed to believe Jaune would have any reason to make all this up. The only reason Rue could even fathom he would was some attempt to get her to hand over the book of alchemy she still had in her pouch.

However, it was much more likely that Jaune was telling the truth and that Noir Arc had been lying to him… or perhaps Gluttony while pretending to be under the guise of Noir.

"She wasn't."

That was all Jaune said. He gave no basis for his argument and didn't elaborate further than that. Yet the certainty in which he said those words was absolute. Something in Noir Arc's words or actions had convinced him of her sincerity, but for some reason he was reluctant to reveal what it was.

It was that part about Jaune that always annoyed Rue the most. His sister, Violet, for better or worse, was always upfront about everything and never held anything back. Jaune was exactly the opposite of his sister in that regard, always holding out on his true feelings and crucial information, safeguarding these things like they were some kind of lifeline that he couldn't afford to let go.

In some ways, Rue understood perhaps why he would have turned out that way. Being the glyph bearer and knowing everything that came with that responsibility, it was little wonder he did. Even knowing that, she couldn't accept it. If Rue had learned one thing growing up and from her mother, it was the secrets were the fastest way to lose everything. Whether that be your business, friends, family, and even your life.

"I believe arguing the legitimacy of such things any further is a pointless debate." Ozpin disregarded the topic with nothing more than those words and a sip of coffee. "What's most important is discussing our next move, now knowing with certainty the motivation of the remaining three swords and the full extent of Mister Arc's glyphs."

"So what is our next move, Professor?" Lily tilted her head, just enough so she could look behind her and at Ozpin but without causing her bangs to uncover either brown eye.

"Are we going to allow Beacon to remain open, even knowing these swords may attack any day now?" Glynda brought up a good point, the concern evident.

"We cannot shut down the school," Ozpin turned his chair and looked out the window, "however, we can implement two mandatory missions. Those wishing to remain at Beacon and prove themselves the Huntsmen and Huntresses of tomorrow, may do so. Those who wish to hone the minds of the next generation, will go to Signal and mentor the students there until further notice."

If you asked Rue, she would just send them all to Signal. The remaining three sisters were the strongest even among their peers. It was too much to ask their juniors to have to go against them, no matter how prepared they thought they were. It was also true that Beacon was likely about to become a warzone… and you couldn't fight a war without soldiers. Or casualties.

"What about the other kingdoms?" Rue asked, following that previous train of thought.

"Vacuo is in absolute disarray. We cannot expect any help from them, nor should we." Ozpin stated bluntly. "I have already reached out to the headmaster of Mistral and he's offered Huntsmen and Huntresses. However, the politics and sheer commotion caused by all these acts of terrorism have stalled out the actual act of being able to do such a thing. At least until we can get the council to reach a clear consensus, by which time it may be too late."

Damn. Rue clicked her teeth. So much for that, which only really left Atlas.

"In light of the assassination of a councilman in public and the fall of the Anti-Arc Force, the remaining members of Atlas' council have gone into hiding and appointed General Ironwood complete control over all matters relating to running the kingdom and the Arc sisters. This includes assigning a new team to deal with them." Ozpin let out a small smile. "And as a friend of the dear General, he has graciously heard out my request and already sent that team here. We should expect them within the next few days."

"This new team…" Jaune eyed Ozpin warily. "Are they working to kill my sisters like the last group or are they actually on our side?"

"I cannot say until we speak with them directly, but James assures me they are willing to hear out our plan and consider all the possibilities. Whoever it is James has chosen, they have been given direct power over the fate of your sisters." Which meant if they made the right argument… this person in charge of the new team had the power to exonerate Violet and the others.

A somewhat comforting thought, but Rue wasn't nearly naive enough to believe that would be the end of it. Even if they could prove that the Arc sisters were innocent, there was too much damage done and beyond grief the amount of loss. Maybe it was possible to save them from lawful execution, but there would be no saving them from the ire of the masses and the social purgatory they would have to endure the rest of their lives.

Which was exactly why Rue and Wanda had returned at all. The siblings needed more than just their family behind them now if they were ever going to have a chance at returning to even a shadow of their normal lives. And she couldn't even imagine the kind of stress Violet would be under once she finally came to. From what little she'd seen of Olivia, it wasn't good and there was nothing any of them might be able to do to fix it.

"So that's all we got, huh?" Lily began ticking off fingers as she listed off their allies. "A special team from Atlas and all the kiddies here at Beacon too stupid to know to run?"

"It certainly doesn't sound like good odds when you put it that way…" Rue couldn't help the mirth that leaked out. The sad thing was, they were only talking about three opponents too… but that just about summed up the true level of the enemy they were fighting.

"Do not forget the staff of Beacon… along with myself and Ozpin will be here." Glynda straightened out, proudly so. The great witch of Beacon was a comforting presence to have on the battlefield, but… Rue's silver eyes glanced over Ozpin. She nor anyone she knew had ever seen him participate in a battle before. The idea of finally getting to witness the headmaster of Beacon show off his power sent a small tingle of excitement down her spine. Surely, he must have been beyond powerful.

"Now then," Glynda continued, eyes transfixed on the pouch at Rue's hip. "Allow me to see that book you have acquired." With a small grunt of acceptance, Rue handed it over. Glynda stared at the charred front where Roman had shot it and ran a finger up the purple spine, almost admiring it for several quiet moments before flipping it open and quickly skimming through the pages.

"So what's the verdict, teach?" Lily asked playfully, and Rue could practically see the eyes hidden behind those bangs watching Jaune's anxious twitches as he waited for Glynda to allow him to have the book.

"The writing is hard to read in some places… worn down through time and the damage of recent battle, but it's all very well explained and the notes are precise. I think with a little time spent, I could definitely get Mister Arc up to speed on the teachings… depending on how quickly he learns."

"Wait, are you saying then…?"

" _I_ will be the one in custody of this book, Mister Arc." Glynda fixed him with a gaze as stern as her words and he audibly gulped. "We do not know the disadvantages to you exploring the rest of your abilities yet and it would be unwise of you to overstretch yourself and then fail to utilize even your most basic ability when the time comes."

Rue didn't really understand, but somehow Glynda thought it was possible Jaune could burn out his glyphs and if that happened and he wasn't even able to shatter the swords… well, it went without saying but they would really be screwed then.

"As such, I shall be your instructor so this way we can properly assure your growth without such risk. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jaune didn't even hesitate to nod his agreement right away. While it wasn't what he wanted the most, this was probably for the best all things considered and at least he seemed to recognize that.

"Good, now give me a night to read over the contents and we can begin whipping you into shape tomorrow morning." Jaune's face noticeably paled at the word 'whipping' but he didn't offer any argument and again just nodded along to her instructions.

The poor guy was about to first hand see the teacher side of Glynda, something he had likely been spared from until now as he wasn't a student. Still, there was no one better to catch him up as quickly as possible.

"I believe that concludes everything we have to discuss for today… sans a mysteriously missing bullhead-" Jaune, never play poker; Rue couldn't help but think this and shake her head at the absolute fear of discovery on his face. "Oh well." And so quickly vanished as Ozpin dismissed the notion with a coy smile. "We can always look into that another time. Now then-"

He held up three access cards, which Lily quickly accepted for them all. "Those should get you into a dorm room… one I think the three of you will find quite familiar, if memory serves."

"Don't go trying to make us sentimental now, Professor." Lily skipped off the table with a bright grin. "You'll never get rid of us."

"It's just going to feel good to sleep in an actual bed I don't have to pick up and move every day." Rue cracked her neck, the stiffness returning just thinking about that cot she was forced to call a bed while traveling with those nomads.

"We shall bid you farewell for now, Little Jaune." Wanda inclined her head towards the younger blond who made no move to leave the office with the three of them. Lily nor even Wanda appeared perturbed by this, but Rue couldn't help but feel like something was going on with him… and her instincts were rarely wrong.

There was no point in calling him out on it now and she left with her two teammates… silver eyes on him all the way until the elevator door closed.

* * *

Olivia's knees hit the ground with a soft thud.

Coco's hand reached forward to place a hand on her shoulder but stopped just short, not even a hair's breadth away. She wanted to reach out to her friend and former mentor, let her know that she was here for her… but at the same time Coco knew that wasn't the right thing to do.

It wasn't that long ago now that it was her in Olivia's position, kneeled in front of this grave marker, eyes widen with disbelief and tears threatening to fall at any moment. The only thing she had wanted at that time was to lash out at someone. To scream and tear her hair out and get revenge for her fallen teammate.

That was just it. In the end, Coco had an outlet for all her frustration, grief and anger. In order to save Olivia, however, she had already gotten the revenge Fox deserved and that left no one else to take the blame for what had been done. Olivia did not have that same luxury to pin her grief at the one truly responsible for this tragedy.

Knowing this, the fingers Coco had extended curled in and formed a tight first. That arm then fell against her side uselessly and she reached the other around to grip it tight.

Olivia's body shook and even though Coco was standing behind her, she could see the tears on the side of her cheeks glisten in the setting sun. What a frustrating feeling, Coco realized. Even when she saved Olivia from the sword, it felt like she only damned her to these emotions instead.

Was this something Jaune felt every time he saved one of his sisters? Knowing he was stopping them from doing more horrible things but only opening their eyes to all the things they had done already? And now it was a burden Coco bore with him, being directly responsible for having destroyed Envy.

She didn't even know what to say to her in this situation… any words she could offer would just be hollow and fake. Something Olivia would surely notice. But was it really just alright to stand here and do nothing while her friend wept for someone whom they both had a hand in killing?

"...His grave is really filthy, you know?" Coco couldn't imagine the expression she must have made upon hearing Olivia's almost inaudible words. And she certainly didn't have a response as the older girl turned to look up at her with a forced smile and tear-streaked cheeks. "We're going to have to work hard to make sure it stays clean. Fox doesn't deserve anything less."

Coco could only shake her head, not knowing what else to do. "Really... you never change."

"Olivia!" Three voices in the distance called out to the green-haired girl. Dark purple eyes, red around the edges from her crying, spun around to face her three younger sisters who were all sprinting at the two of them in a dead dash, nearly about stumbling over one another in their hurry.

She never got a chance to get to her feet to greet them before they were upon her and Coco could only watch with a stunned expression behind her shades as the three girls simultaneously bowled their elder over and sent themselves tumbling.

Over the next few seconds, Coco couldn't tell if the four of them were laughing or crying, but eventually realized it was some strange combination of both. Tears rolled freely down all their faces, yet somehow they found the courage and comfort with one another to laugh loudly while clinging to one another.

These girls hadn't even hesitated to come racing to their sister and hold her in their arms. It was something Coco hadn't been capable of giving Olivia, and now she felt a small pang of regret for having held back earlier. Certainly they weren't family, but Coco considered Olivia like a member of their team… which was the next closest thing.

"Oh my goodness…" Coco cocked her head to see Velvet and Yatsuhashi standing just a couple steps behind her, the former's hands covering her mouth in surprise. Even Yatsuhashi's normally stoic face was agape and expressive.

"So you did save her." The tall man's voice wavered. Velvet didn't waste another second, dropping down to her knees and joining the sisters in a hug and somehow Olivia managed to snake one of her tiny arms around to return the gesture.

Yatsuhashi's expression settled into one of subdued elation as he also stepped closer to them. Without any effort at all, he picked up all five girls and hefted them to their feet while ensnaring them in a huge hug of his own. If it was possible, their laughing got louder.

"Coco…" One of Olivia's hands stuck out from the entanglement of limbs, offering her to join them.

"Oh no," Coco held up a hand to reject the offer. "I'm not much of a hugger." Too bad she didn't have a choice as Velvet's hand shot out quicker than she could react, yanking her into the group where several different arms ensured she remained.

Despite her earlier words, Coco could only shrug and try to repress the smirk that was slowly spreading.

Every once in a while, a hug wasn't so bad.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Kind of another short chapter and after a long break too. Still, I regrettably don't have much time to spend on fanfiction right now. I think until I do get more time, I'm pretty much going to focus solely on this story. Better for me right now than trying to juggle multiple things which wasn't so bad when I had the time.

The omake was an idea I discussed with Natzo and he even drew a picture to go along with it. As usual, I posted a link to it on my profile page where you can find all the other fanart for this story.

* * *

 **Omake 46**

 _Broken Arm_

* * *

"Autumn… you could at least try and sit still for me."

"Why should I?" Autumn turned her head just enough to glare up at Jaune from the stool she sat on. Her big brother stood behind her, a red ribbon in one hand and a fistful of her hair in the other while he attempted to put that hair up in her usual twintail fashion.

"It'll be easier for me to not make any mistakes if you don't move around so much, that's all. You don't want Ciel making fun of you at the breakfast table because your hair is out of sorts, right?" She hated it when he made good points, but she had to admit that she would hate it even more seeing Ciel's smug grin across the table.

"Stupid Ciel… she's the reason my arm is like this to begin with." Autumn grumbled under her breath, green eyes darting down to look at the cast encasing her arm.

"I still don't know how you girls managed to pull that off. Between those gauntlets you wear and Aura, the odds of you breaking your arm are pretty much a million to one." She felt her cheeks puff out unnaturally at Jaune's comment and face paint itself in a deep blush.

"It wasn't my fault… and you know how Ciel is. Odds don't mean anything when she's involved." Jaune gave a small grunt of mirth at that, knowing just how true that statement was.

"At least your Aura should patch you up pretty quickly. Only a couple days in this cast and you should be good to train again in no time." Now that she had quit shifting around, Jaune was again able to try working on putting her hair back up.

"Speaking of time, how much longer is it going to take you to finish this? I'm hungry." Autumn had to resist the urge to send Jaune another glare, only managing to do so by reminding herself that moving again would only delay them further.

"I told you I wasn't very good at this. I only do Rouge's hair once in awhile when she insists… and you have quite a bit more hair than her. So this is a little different." He also didn't bother adding it aloud, but she could hear him grunt every so often in discomfort at the littlest effort he had to put into his fingers in order to properly brush her hair before binding it up.

Their conversation drifted off to silence as he put on the second bow and took a step back to admire his work. Autumn spun her stool to look in the mirror and lightly pulled at each tail individually to inspect the length.

She had to admit… he didn't do a bad job, even if it did take him longer than she wanted.

"Finally, let's go. I'm hungry." Autumn turned away from the mirror, but not before she saw Jaune's satisfied expression drop. She made her way to the door of her room and peeked outside the hallway, making sure the coast was clear before turning back him.

"And big brother… thank you."


	53. Silver

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Silver_

* * *

"Are you almost done yet?" Ruby's silver eye twitched, concentration momentarily broken by her sister's latest impatient outburst.

"I keep telling you… if you just give me a _minute_ of silence, one _minute_ , and I will be _done._ " She turned to glare at Yang. The blonde sat on Blake's bed, legs dangling over the edge and swinging impatiently while she was leaned backwards, head resting on Blake's stomach. Their poor faunus teammate was doing her best to ignore her as well and just read her book, but Yang was no doubt making that an impossible task too.

"You said that five minutes ago." Yang drawled, stretching her arms over her head and 'accidently' bumping Blake's book.

"And you have interrupted me five times since." Ruby grumbled, turning back to the task at hand. "If I mess up a single Dust coil here and we won't have a room anymore, do you want that?" The young leader currently sat on the floor, a small workbench before her. On that bench was an assortment of equipment, all for the express purpose of finishing Autumn's new lightning gauntlets.

Gauntlets, that if she messed up a single part of this process and it would probably be more than their room that would get engulfed in the ensuing explosion.

"If you were really that concerned about it," Weiss noted, "you would be doing this down in the workshop… you know, the place that is supposed to be able to withstand volatile Dust explosions? Sometimes I think you like endangering us and our stuff, Crater Face."

"It was over a year ago! Let it go already!" Ruby had been called that by Joan all of once in front of Weiss and she swore it was going to stick around for the rest of her life.

To her relief, no one responded and she spent the next minute in perfect silence. Ruby didn't dare breathe, as she finished threading the final circuit together, creating a perfect ring to place in the palm of the new gauntlets. With a small hum and a soft orange glow, the ring came to life and when no resulting explosion followed she knew that the weapon was a success.

"You done then?" Yang must have heard her sigh of relief, because not even a full second after Ruby had let it out and she was up on her feet and stretching. "So this means we can go and deliver them now, right?"

"Yes, why yes I am!" Ruby might have been annoyed by her sister's previous insistence, but she was too proud of her accomplishment just now to let that bring her down. She held the ring above her head and admired the orange glow of it for a moment before grabbing the second gauntlet and clicking it into place. With another hum of energy, the ring powered and armed the gauntlet.

"Great, so let's go bring them to Autumn." Yang was already making her way for the door as she said that.

"I don't know what you're in such a rush for. Jaune isn't going to be there, you know? He's got that practice with Goodwitch for his newly acquired abilities, like he has the past couple days as well." Weiss, always the practical one, pointed out with brutal efficiency.

"I know that." Yang cracked her knuckles, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I just wanted to see if Autumn is interested in going a round or two, one melee fighter to another… what do you take me for, some lovestruck girl that can't stand to be apart from her man for more than a second?"

"You ran after him pretty quick during that battle." Blake noted dryly.

"Well, duh. He just had his arm chopped off… which by the way I practically had to rip off again just to get him to tell me what the Hell happened."

"A battle you didn't invite me to." Ruby grumbled under her breath. What the heck had been up with that? She didn't even know her sister and Blake had left until after they had gotten back with another one of Jaune's sisters having been freed.

Blake made a small grunt and snapped her book shut. "As I recall, you all left me out of the trip before this one."

"We had a discussion about that." Weiss snapped while Ruby nodded along vigorously. "You were too injured to go into battle. What the two of you did was leave us behind without a word. You could've been killed and we never would have even known you were in danger."

"Are we seriously going to have this argument again?" Yang threw her arms up in exasperation. "I already told you, Jaune was leaving right then with the people he had with him. He probably would've even left me behind if I hadn't been around when Ozpin called. We weren't exactly supposed to run into his sisters."

"But you did." This time even Yang didn't have a response, lilac eyes darting to the wall to avoid Weiss' icy gaze. "Which is why we should have been there to help you. We're a team."

Ruby let out a long sigh as several moments of silence fell over their team. She knew Yang and Blake had simply acted the way they thought was best at the moment… and if she was being honest, she probably would've done the same in that situation.

Fortunately, no one had been seriously hurt. Well, barring Jaune losing an arm, but even that had been miraculously healed, not that she understood the finer details behind why. Yang seemed like she may have known but she got uncharastically tight lipped whenever it was brought up and her mood would sour, so Ruby had just given up on that front. If Jaune wanted to tell her, she supposed he would himself and that was all there was to it.

"Anyways, let's just all agree that the next fight we have we'll all do it together. That's the best we can do now, right?" Not that they were likely going to have much choice. If Ozpin and Jaune were right, the next battle would be here at Beacon when Jaune's three remaining sisters came to finish what it was they had started.

"Heh, way to say it, sis. That's why you're the leader." Yang gave a chuckle and even the other two appeared to visible relax and settle into small smiles. No matter what happened between them, they would be ready for what came next and Ruby couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in knowing she had the most awesome team around.

"Now that that's settled," Ruby picked up the gauntlets and set for the door with Yang. "Let's give these babies a test run." She opened the door, fully intending to do just that, only to stop short upon nearly running into a woman she didn't recognize.

Silver eyes met silver and she blinked in surprise, taking in the white haired girl in front of her. She had looped twintails on either side of her head, tied together by black bows, a black jacket covering a white button-up shirt and a black and gray checkered skirt.

"Hey, it's you." Yang snapped her fingers several times from behind Ruby, apparently grasping for the name. "Rutabaga or something…"

"Rue." The girl deadpanned, eyes flickering off Ruby for the shortest of seconds. "Rue S-"

"Miss Sylvia." Weiss finished for her. Again, Rue's eyes left Ruby but this time remained transfixed on her partner.

"Miss Schnee." Rue's voice and face remained completely neutral, giving away nothing about what her relationship to Weiss might have been. "I had heard that you decided to attend Beacon instead of Atlas like your sister. No doubt your father was less than thrilled by this decision."

"My father has no say over what choices I make for myself." Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby could see Weiss place both hands on her hips, head tilted high and chin jut out, as if trying to look regal and imposing despite her short stature. "What about you? Last I heard, you left the kingdom and started living with that wandering tribe. I bet your mother-"

"I haven't spoken with my mother in several years." The dark bite in Rue's words caused Ruby to flinch, but not just because of the inflection. Those words hurt Ruby to hear. How many years had it been since she and her mother had a real conversation… at least one that wasn't so one-sided.

"I see." And to Ruby's surprise, Weiss' voice suddenly had a bit of an apologetic undertone to it. "Well, regardless I am pleasantly surprised to find you here of all places. Your combat prowess will be a much appreciated boon. That match you and my sister had those years ago is still an event I remember with absolute clarity."

Rue gave a short nod of acknowledgment before once more glancing down to Ruby. "My role in the upcoming battle is what I've come to discuss."

"O-Oh?" Weiss cleared her throat but it failed to draw Rue's gaze again. Ruby felt herself begin to fidget on the balls of her feet. The weight of her eyes were starting to bear down on her shoulders and she felt her hands clam up. "And what exactly would that be?"

"The remaining Arc sisters aren't going to be our only enemy when they show up. Not only do Sloth and Gluttony have the ability to summon hordes of ice creatures and the undead alike, but once the battles start, a lot of ugly emotions are going to come out."

"Grimm." Blake whispered, earning a nod from Rue.

"Ozpin has put me in charge of putting together a team of those best suited to taking them down and defending our borders so things don't get more hectic than they already will be."

"...and you want RWBY for that team?" Yang's voice carried with it no small amount of uncertainty, of which Ruby couldn't blame her. Fighting the Grimm was all well and good, but that wasn't where the real battle was. That wasn't where Jaune was going to be.

"Specifically, just your leader."

"M-me?" Ruby pointed at herself before quickly checking her teammate's reactions. Their faces all looked equally bewildered. "Why me?" She whirled back to Rue, not at all understanding what made her so special to be singled out.

"You really don't know?" Rue tilted her head to the side, causing one of her looped twintails to dangle and swing. When Ruby shook her head, the older woman gave a tired sigh and then pinched the bridge of her nose. "Typical… nothing to it then, I'm just going to have to teach you."

"...Teach me what exactly?" It was Ruby's turn to tilt her head, her confusion only growing stronger the longer this conversation went on. Rue gave a knowing smirk and gestured with a small flick the distance between their gazes.

"About the incredible power of your silver eyes."

* * *

"Are you prepared, Mister Arc?" Glynda readied her riding crop and adjusted her glasses. She stood crouched and poised for combat, green eyes glaring down the younger blond.

Jaune gulped so audibly she could hear him from the other side of the training room, but nevertheless saw him give a resolute nod. His knees and arms were shaking terribly and he was covered in sweat, the toll of her training showing its effects. If he was going to have any success putting these newfound abilities of his into actual combat, she couldn't afford to go easy on him.

With a flick and twirl of her crop, a purple glow overtook numerous pieces of shredded training dummies, arranging them in front of herself to the shape of a makeshift lance. The lance began spinning, slowly at first, but as it gained velocity the wind around it began to distort. Glynda's skirt and hair whipped wildly behind her as the scraps of metal disappeared behind a miniature twister, pointed right at Jaune.

His fingers twitched and past the gale she saw him hunch towards the floor. As if that was the signal she had been waiting for, Glynda let loose the spear and it rocketed across the arena, crossing the distance at a frightening speed.

Jaune's hands slammed on the ground and Glynda watched with no small amount of fascination as the powers she read about in Noir's book came to life. The scars on the back of Jaune's hands pulsed black, almost too quickly for her to actually see, and then that black raced out from the tips of his fingers, exactly as he had described it happening when he broke the swords.

The blackness came out as writhing tendrils that coated the floor like ink, forming a circle and quickly filling out the inside of the circle with the markings she had shown him from the book. When the diagram was complete the whole floor glowed with such a bright light, it only made the black of those tendrils stand out even more, appearing as a dark and bottomless abyss.

Then it all vanished, the steel floor inside the circle sinking in upon itself and creating a crater. From that crater rose a black wall of some unknown material, the matter completely transformed into something else entirely separate from its original form.

This all happened in the span of a single second and had Glynda blinked, she would've missed it. And had it not been that quick, Jaune would've had a spear through his head. Instead the whirling lance struck the newly constructed wall just as it concealed the blond completely. Metal and wind crashed with a resounding thud instead of a clang, like the wall Jaune had constructed was comprised of some kind of earth instead of metal. Dust and smoke emitted from the collision, concealing the results from Glynda's discerning eyes.

With a small grunt, Glynda flicked her crop yet again. The dark smoke swirled as she took control of it and flew upwards where she allowed it to disperse. Without it no longer hindering her vision, she could see the wall perfectly, along with the clear gaping hole in the center of it. Peeking through that hole was Jaune's exhausted, yet distinctly elated face.

"I… I think I'm kind of getting the hang of this." He had to gasp for breath between almost every word. Exhausted would be an understatement. This new power was taxing and while she had no doubt it would have been mentally, she didn't expect it to drain him so much physically too.

It had taken three days of guidance and drilling the design written in the book into his head to be able to produce this result as quickly and efficient as he did just now. The problem was… that was only one design of many. In a real battle, Jaune was going to need to have dozens of these transmutation circles memorized and have to choose the one he needed on the fly. And this design had been one of the easier ones too.

"Can you use your glyphs again?" Glynda's heels clicked against the floor as she began to cross the distance between them.

Jaune's face twisted and he made a complex expression, eyes darting down to his exposed hands. Not being a glyph bearer, Glynda couldn't even begin to understand how Jaune knew the active status of his glyphs and his description did little to help. "I just know" was what he said.

She supposed that was only natural, as the glyphs had been a part of him almost his whole life. It was the same way she was able to walk and pick things up without any real conscious effort. On some instinctive level, he could tell if his glyphs' cooldown were up or not.

"Both of them just reset." He finally said, just as she walked around the side of the wall. "It's just like Noir said… doing transmutation took the complete charges of both my glyphs. And with four swords gone, I have to wait ten seconds before I can use them again."

"Hmph." Glynda grunted in acknowledgement and didn't bother to hide her displeased frown. "Ten seconds is simply too long. It would be one thing if you could form this wall and then use it to attack immediately after, but as you are…"

"I agree." Jaune nodded solemnly, legs finally giving out on him and he collapsed down his butt. "What's more, this wall is probably only going to block one attack, which just isn't worth both charges of glyphs." That was even more true considering Jaune's glyphs individually could destroy anything the swords produced.

"Perhaps then," Glynda rubbed her chin as she considered their options. "Would it be better to focus on something more offensive?" She had considered defense the better strategy at first, because really Jaune had to stay in as good a condition as he could for as long as possible. This meant leaving the brunt of the work to all the others here at Beacon and only jumping in when he had a sure-fire chance.

And they would only have the element of surprise against the first sword. Once he broke one of them, the other two were going to know he was alive. The problem then was choosing which sword to go for first. Reasonably speaking they would have no control over that. In the chaos of battle, Jaune was likely going to have to go for whichever one of his sisters he happened across first. Their strategy from there could change completely, depending on the outcome of that first battle and who it was he stumbled upon.

There were too many variables… and their combat power was severely lacking to accommodate for all the different possibilities. Nevertheless, they had to make it work. Their only other option was sending Jaune's freed sisters somewhere else, but where but here would they be safe? Glynda certainly couldn't think of anywhere. Staying and fighting here on their home turf was the best option… and yet it still felt like it would be nothing more than a losing battle.

Glynda's grip tightened on her crop to the point she was afraid it might snap. It was pathetic… there were only three of them and they were less than half her age. One of them she practically considered a daughter.

"We'll make it work." She barely even registered those words. That was how softly he said them, and she had to run them through her head three times before she was finally able to comprehend them. Glynda stared down at Jaune and was surprised to see a confident grin on his face. "I know this isn't going to sound convincing or anything coming from me… but we can win, I definitely believe that."

Glynda once again adjusted her glasses and quickly arranged her face to the normally steely expression she always attempted to put on in front of her students. It was important, after all, to always appear strong and confident in front of them. That was just common sense and she had to mentally chide herself for forgetting that and letting her fears run away with her.

Only once she had those fears and emotions back in check did she respond. "And what makes you say that?" He had been right, it really didn't sound convincing coming from him.

He shrugged. "You know, back when this whole thing started, it was just me. Everyone else around me was either dying or trying to kill my sisters. I was the only one trying to save them. Even despite that, I resolved myself to fight. If I was the only one in the whole world that wanted to save them, so be it. That was what I thought.

"But then I got my ass handed to me. When I woke up in the hospital I thought for sure I had failed and some of my sisters had been killed. Ozpin was there… and when he told me they were alive I was so relieved. And then he offered me this one in a million opportunity. Now that I'm here at Beacon, I have more allies than I ever could have imagined.

"It may sound crazy, but to me who was prepared to fight the whole world on top of trying to save my sisters, the fact that one school is willing to be by my side is the greatest comfort I could ever have received. So… Thanks, I guess. Or something. I don't know what I'm trying to say, actually."

He gave a small chuckle and a huge smile.

And in response, Glynda could only stare down at him, face completely frozen. She really did feel like such an idiot for allowing doubt to cloud the facts. This wasn't just any school. It was Beacon Academy, one of the most powerful presences on the entirely of Remnant. If those swords thought they could come here and just roll over them as they please, then they had another thing coming.

They were going to win and they were going to save his sisters. She had to believe that and build their strategies with that belief in mind. Part of doing that was making sure Jaune was as strong as possible when the time arrived.

She returned his smile with a determined one of her own. "I hope you're prepared then. Just because you have comrades, doesn't mean you get to take it easy." The big grin on Jaune's face slipped and he quickly began trying to sputter several different responses, none of them ever properly forming. With a small shake of the head, she cut him off and reached down to help him up. "Don't worry, we'll all be here to push you forward. We won't let you take it easy, because we're counting on you."

"R-right!" Jaune nodded several times and took her hand with his. The other he leaned on the black wall he had constructed to help stabilize himself.

 _Neow_

Only to have that wall crumble apart the moment his glyph made contact with it. He gave a small grunt of surprise and stumbled sideways, nearly pulling Glynda with him. She managed to keep them both up only by reflexively using her riding crop to ensnare her heeled shoes with a purple glow that caught herself.

"What the…" Glynda's eyes narrowed and Jaune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he smiled apologetically.

"My bad?" Now that he was over his initial shock, he didn't seem at all surprised by what had just happened.

"It's quite alright." She helped him up to his feet and waited only until she was sure he wouldn't fall again to release his hand. "You're still getting used to your new abilities, after all. Naturally, we're not sure of what to expect from them just yet."

"I guess so, huh?" Jaune nodded several times. "So we were going to start working on some offensive based circles?"

"Yes, but perhaps we should continue tomorrow? This practice was more taxing on you than I anticipated." Ignoring that he was covered in perspiration, he was still breathing more heavily than normal and appeared to be swaying while standing.

"That makes sense, yeah." He did look disappointed by her decision, but he also didn't argue with it either. "I'll just, uh… I guess I'll go change and head out then?" He pointed towards the locker room and looked back and forth between her and it.

"You're dismissed, yes." Glynda nodded and only then did he begin making his way out of the room. As he walked away, Glynda's eyes glanced once more back at the barrier his glyph had destroyed.

It hadn't been on purpose, his glyph had done it automatically. Which means it had sensed something in the wall and destroyed it. Exactly like what it did to the swords and anything they produced. Maybe it wasn't a stretch, considering the swords and glyphs both originated from Noir Arc. Yet at the same time, Glynda couldn't help but feel there was a much more dangerous implication behind that one simple fact that his glyphs treated something they created the same as they would one of the swords.

She just didn't know yet exactly what that implication was.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** I went back and forth for a while on whether or not to show any of Jaune's training with Glynda. I'm not really a big fan of writing training scenes. I feel like they kind of weigh the story down and generally would rather just see the results of that training. I decided it made sense to show at least something from it, though, to explain a little about how Jaune's alchemy works.

Obviously the primary inspiration is the way they use transmutation to battle is Fullmetal Alchemist. However, Jaune is going to be much more limited here than they are in that anime/manga. After all, in FMA, alchemy is something with a rich history that people have been perfecting for generations. Jaune has one whole book written from a bygone era and a time limit between uses. So no, he's not going to go all Roy Mustang on the remaining swords or anything. Like always, Jaune is going to have to rely on his allies to get things done. That's not to say introducing alchemy is without purpose either, but there's more to it than just what it brings to the table in terms of Jaune's fighting abilities.

Now for an omake about Allegretta, this time one where she's actually alive.

* * *

 **Omake 47**

 _Meeting the Family_

* * *

 _Knock Knock_

"Come in!" Jaune and Joan called out in perfect symmetry of another, their voices blending together as if they were one. The two twins sat crossed legged on the floor of their room between their two beds, GameBoy in either hand and a cable linking the two of them together.

"Are you two still using those old things?" Amethyst eyed the years-old devices skeptically, as if expecting them to fall apart at any given moment. The poor things had been through quite a bit in their days too, being passed around between eight siblings, despite having been gifts for the twins on their birthday all those years ago.

She could still recall how Jaune's had been broken within the first week and only at Ciel's behest had Amethyst taken apart one of her own devices to modify his, both fixing and improving on it. Both devices had been through several additional such fixings in all the years since then too.

All the other siblings had gotten bored of the games and she'd almost forgotten about them entirely, but evidently the twins had not.

"What's up?" Neither of them looked up at her as they asked their question and ignored her's entirely. Whatever game they were playing it was clearly taking all of their focus.

With a small snort of amusement, the girl next to Amethyst pushed the door the rest of the way open, revealing the twins for her to see. "I see your kid siblings are as excited to see you home for the holiday as you said they would be." At the sound of the new voice, both her siblings heads jerked up, the curiosity strong enough to overcome even their previous immersion.

"Just rub it in, why don't you?" Amethyst sent a wry smirk at the gray-haired girl. She didn't really blame Jaune or Joan, they probably didn't even realize who it was talking to them before and the familiarity of her voice alone was enough for it to not register as strange.

"Amethyst!" The twins cried out in sudden realization, just now coming to grips with the fact that their second-eldest sister was home and not at Beacon. That surprise gave way to wary curiosity as they assessed the new occupant of their room.

"It's wonderfully to meet the two of you, finally, after hearing so much about you." The girl glided across their room gracefully and Amethyst found herself staring at the way her hair flowed as she moved… again. It was a bad habit she'd developed and one that was going to prove especially troublesome on the battlefield one day if she didn't get it under control.

"You must be Jaune." She reached a left hand towards her brother. "And Joan." The right went to her sister. "My name is Allegretta Cross, but you can just call me Ally. I'm Amy's partner at Beacon."

"Ah- Umm… er- Nice to meet you!" They even managed to stutter in rhythm together, something Allegretta seemed to find especially funny as she let out an almost melodic giggle. Blushes tinting their cheeks, the twins each shook the hand extended towards them.

"Amy was nice enough to invite me over for the weekend, so I hope we can become good friends before I leave. That goes for all your other siblings as well." Allegretta smiled sweetly down at them, bending over as she spoke and placing one hand on her knee, the other tucking back a long lock of gray hair behind her ear.

The flustered faces disappeared altogether and the two gave one another a quick, stupefied look before whirling back to Allegretta. A moment later and huge grins split their faces and their hands shot forward once again to take hers.

"Come on, come on then!" Joan ran around the side, spinning Allegretta so she was facing the exit to the room.

"We'll take you to meet the rest of them!" Jaune started pulling, Joan only a second behind and Allegretta stumbled as she was yanked after them. Amethyst rolled her eyes at their enthusiasm, but was also pleased to see that her partner didn't appear to mind the sudden turnabout.

Allegretta even gave a quick wink and a subtle smirk as they passed by her, mouthing the words 'Told you they'd like me' before she disappeared out of the room and into the hall with them. As Amethyst turned to follow after them, she felt her usual scowl turn into a relieved smirk.

"Yeah… I suppose you did." She wouldn't admit it, but she was happy Allegretta had been right.


	54. Yang vs Autumn

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Yang vs Autumn_

* * *

"You sure about not going with your sister?"

Yang shook her head at Blake's question. "Nah, no point." That Rue girl was offering to teach Ruby something about her eyes. What exactly, Yang didn't understand, but apparently it had to do with the fact that they were silver. So even though they may have been related by blood, it wasn't something Yang was going to be able to learn too.

Besides, she had been really looking forward to the idea of going up against Autumn in a sparring match. Which is exactly where her and Blake were heading now. Originally, Blake was going to remain in their room and just continue reading, but Ruby needed someone to take notes on how the weapons functioned in battle and pick Autumn's brain for improvements while she was using them.

There wasn't anyone better than their literary teammate for that and Blake didn't seem to have any complaints about the task either.

They heard the loud footfalls of someone walking behind them before they heard him call out to them. "Belladonna. Xiao Long." The two girls stopped and turned to Yatsuhashi, the towering upperclassman giving a respectful bow before then approaching the last few remaining steps. "Are the two of you also heading to see Jaune?"

"Autumn, actually." Yang waved for him to come with them. "Jaune is probably still training with Goodwitch but if you're lucky you might run into him while we're there."

"Thank you." The man inclined his head once again and the three of them set off together.

"So… wha'cha looking to talk to Jaune about?" They only got a couple steps before Yang's curiosity got the best of her. She actually had to crane her neck just to look up at him while he was walking next to her.

"Does one need a reason to see his friend?" Yatsuhashi answered her question with one of his own.

"Not really," Yang shrugged, "but if you were just looking to hang out, I figured you would wait until we all met up in the cafeteria or something." She knew Yatsuhashi and Jaune were close. In fact, Jaune had mentioned once before that he considered the samurai to be his best friend. It was almost a little weird to think of Jaune using a term like 'best friend' as it was never a label he probably would've attached to someone before coming to Beacon.

Yatsuhashi smiled. "You are correct. I do have a favor to ask of him."

"Oh…?" Yang drawled on the word, quirking an eyebrow to show how curious she was. As if that wasn't obvious enough by her tone. If Yatsuhashi picked up on it at all, he didn't make any further effort to elaborate and they arrived at their destination before she could push the point.

Blake knocked politely on the door that Jaune was sharing with three of his sisters now, along with Reese and Arslan. Not even a second later and it flung open, Rouge standing on the other end. "Good afternoon, please come in." The younger girl immediately beckoned them inside, not at all questioning why they came.

"Jaune's not here." Completely unlike her younger sister, Autumn, glowered at all three of them. Joan was also in the room, sitting on a nearby bed that Olivia appeared to be trying to make, with little success with her younger sister on it.

"Here to see you, actually." Yang didn't even wait for a response, tossing the gauntlets to the orange-haired girl who only barely managed to catch them. Autumn looked down at them, face flashing between obvious confusion, to realization, to disbelief, before she looked back up at them skeptically. "They're yours." Yang beat her to it. "Now come on, we're going a round or two, work out all the kinks in 'em." As predicted, there was an instantly competitive gleam in Autumn's gaze.

"Is that why you're here as well, Yatsuhashi?" Olivia stood from the bed she and Joan had been sitting on, straightening her shirt and adjusting the headband that kept her green hair in place in the process. Dark purple eyes looked up at him and Yang almost swore she saw his whole center of balance shift and shoulders straighten unnaturally.

"I am looking for Jaune." Yatsuhashi's response caused Olivia's smile to waver and he paused, seeming to consider his next words. "Has he come by?"

"He hasn't yet, but I have a pretty good idea where he is." Joan spoke in place of her elder sister. "If you want, I can take you to him."

Yatsuhashi nodded. "It would be much appreciated."

"I-I'll come with you as well." Olivia quickly uttered, perhaps a little too much so. Her cheeks went red and she once again began straightening her skirt and vest, eyes darting anywhere but at Yatsuhashi. "If that's fine, that is."

"It is." His response was nothing more than that.

"You want to tag along, Rouge?" Joan asked as she and Olivia began to head for the door.

"I will pass, thank you for the offer." Rouge shook her head. "If they are going to be testing the weapons, I imagine Ruby will be needing notes taken?"

"That's right." Blake held up a notebook and pen she brought with her. "I could use some help with that too. Ruby can be… pedantic when it comes to her weapons."

"Alright then, we'll catch you later." With a final wave and a chorus of farewells, Yatsuhashi, Olivia, and Joan departed.

"Something going on between your older sister and the big guy?" Yang hiked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction they went not even a full second after they were gone.

Autumn shrugged, eyes focused on the gauntlets. "Viridis Teresa was responsible for the death of his teammate. Maybe it's because of that? I have a hard time talking to any of them since I put that hole in the rabbit girl's gut."

"Makes sense, I guess." Yang didn't really get the impression that was it. She didn't know what else it could be either. No point worrying about it if even the sister's didn't know. "Anyways," Yang grinned cockily, eyes flaring up as she gave Autumn her full attention.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?"

* * *

"Did we really have to come all the way out here just to teach Ruby about her eyes?" Weiss didn't understand the practicality of this. Walking through the Emerald Forest was not exactly how she had planned to spend her day.

" _You_ didn't have to come." Rue quipped, ducking under a branch. Silver eyes scanned the brush around them. So far there was no sign of any Grimm and they had been walking for nearly an hour. It might have been quicker to take the launch pads, honestly. At least that would have saved them some time.

"As if." Weiss glanced backwards and at her partner. Ruby fiddled with the hem of her cloak and walked with an unnatural gait, the compact form of Crescent Rose notably absent. "I'm not going to just let you drag her out here without any means to defend herself."

"All the power she needs is already within her. She doesn't need that scythe to take care of any Grimm." Rue paused and rested a hand on the hilt of her double-barrelled shotgun. "Besides, I can protect a single kid easily enough. The Grimm here are nothing compared to what you see outside the kingdom's borders."

"Weiss, it's okay." Ruby squeaked. "I can do this… probably."

"I don't doubt your capabilities." Weiss would be the first to admit that Ruby was one of the most skilled individuals she ever met, especially considering her age. That was with Crescent Rose, however, and while she had made strides to learning how to fight without it, she wasn't anywhere near as capable as her sister. "You've never used this ability or whatever it is before. What if it fails to activate? I'm simply here as a precaution for that." She rested a hand on Myrtenaster for emphasis.

"I had her leave that garden tool behind for a reason." Ruby silently fumed at Rue's words, clearly displeased at having her precious baby degraded to a mere gardening tool. "Triggering the reaction for the first time isn't easy. It'll only happen if her emotions peak. Which means she has to be in real, actual danger or witness something truly traumatic."

"Traumatic, like what?"

"A Grimm ripping your innards out would probably do the trick." Weiss would rather not have to die for Ruby's ability to awaken.

"You'll be fine, Weiss. Me too." Ruby skipped up to her, standing a little more close than normal. "We survived this place once before and that was for Initiation. No way we'll let anything get us now." Well, she supposed her young leader had a good point.

"So this is where you girls took Initiation, huh?" Rue noted with a small hint of surprise. "I suppose that works to our benefit, usually places with significance have a higher chance to help trigger the reaction."

Weiss and Ruby shared a curious glance. "You mean you didn't have your Initiation in this forest?"

Rue stopped and turned, craning her neck and looking into the distance. The two younger girls followed her gaze and through a small gap in the trees they could see the jagged edge of a red cliff. "Ruby Canyon is where I took mine. Along with Violet, Lily, and Wanda. It's where we became a team."

"Did they propel you off launch pads into the middle and make you find your way out?" Weiss had heard stories about that canyon. Supposedly the steep, narrow crevices formed a near impossible maze. It was rumored that there were still skeletons of lost travelers who wandered in, looking to cross the border into Vale's territory.

Rue snorted. "That would've been a kindness compared to what they actually did to us… no, we woke up there in the middle of the night, still in our pjs, no weapons, and with a time limit of dawn to find a partner, find our weapons, and get out alive." Weiss felt a shiver run down her spine.

Just what exactly was Ozpin thinking when he came up with these 'tests'? There had to be some kind of merit behind them. If there was, Weiss couldn't imagine what it was. She still didn't understand why partners were chosen the way there were either.

Although she supposed things worked out okay, everything considered. Sure, she still had her share of complaints about her partner, but she also wouldn't be out here with her right now if she didn't care at least a little.

"So-uh… why did you become a Huntress?" Ruby asked the next most obvious question. Not just anyone signed up for a school where the one running the place plopped you in a Grimm infested maze in the middle of the night or launched you into a forest without a parachute.

"Truth?" Rue must have only asked hypothetically, because she didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "My mother forced me into it. I didn't really want to become a Huntress when I started attending Signal. By the time I got to Beacon… it was the only real choice left for me."

"What do you mean by that?" Ruby looked hurt by the answer, almost offended even. Weiss could kind of understand why as Ruby was training as a Huntress in order to honor her mother, in a way. Rue's answer sounded like an insult to anyone who was truly striving for the mantel she had attained.

Weiss also understood that there was more to that answer then she gave. It didn't look like she had any intention of answering Ruby's follow-up question, however, and instead was listening for any sign of Grimm again.

"The Sylvia Group used to be close business partners of the Schnee Dust Corporation." Weiss started slowly, giving Rue a chance to cut her off if she didn't want her to say anything further. "They mass produced weapons and our company mined the Dust to fuel them. Miss Sylvia's mother took over the company when I was a little girl. I only met her a couple times and don't really remember those encounters.

"I also don't know all the details, but President Sylvia was accused of embezzling company funds among other fraudulent practices. When they started to launch a formal inquiry… she just disappeared. Most popular theory is somewhere in Mistral. Miss Sylvia was only just graduating Signal at the time and the company was more or less dropped in her lap. My father cut our partnership with them when the news broke and they went under. Saving the company… it probably wasn't impossible, but it certainly would have been a challenge."

"Good riddance to it." Rue spat, fingering the barrels of her shotgun, one of the models mass-produced by her mother's company. "So there you have it. The company I was set to inherit disappeared, practically overnight, and my mother along with it."

"She didn't… you didn't go with her?" Ruby whispered, clearly trying to wrap her mind around what she just heard.

"I almost did." Rue's response was the first time Weiss had ever heard that. The official statement in the press was that President Sylvia had abandoned her daughter without a word. "...Would you believe it, that the reason I stayed was because of Violet?"

As if just thinking about it was funny, Rue let out a bitter laugh. "God, I used to hate her. We never got along at Signal. Mostly, it was just because I was jealous. I could never beat her in a fight. Every single day we had sparring matches, I would volunteer to fight her. This time, I said. This time I'll beat her. I never did. It pissed me off so much, especially how she always carried herself around like she was better than all of us, despite the fact that she couldn't make any friends. Turns out, though, I never had any real friends either.

"The moment the news broke about my mother and they all turned on me. They were never really _my_ friends, just the daughters of other nobles who only saw you for your status. My mother contacted me… had someone discreetly deliver a short letter with a plane ticket. It didn't say where it would take me or why she did what she had. I was still debating on what to do with it when Violet found out. "Are you going to run away?" she asked me. I told her it was none of her damn business and she challenged me to a fight.

"Like every single time before, she kicked my ass. I remember sitting in the dirt cursing my weakness when she sat down next to me and planted that katana of her's in the ground. "You're the only one that's never given up." she told me. "Everyone else quit trying to fight me a long time ago, but not you. You never gave up. So if you give up now, I'll be really disappointed." I remember thinking how stupid. What did I care if she was disappointed? She would never even see me again.

"If I left that would be it. I would never have to see that girl I hated so much again in my life. Thinking about it like that only made me want to leave more. I packed my stuff that night and was prepared to head out and never look back… only to find I couldn't walk out the door. That hatred I felt towards Violet, that was the only real bond I had. In that moment, it felt more real than even my connection to my own mother; a woman who wouldn't even meet me in person to explain herself.

"So I stayed and gave the company to the senior executives to do what they would with it. The only interest I had left was going to Beacon, where Violet was. That way one day I could finally beat her. She became my goal… and when we started Beacon, my leader too."

No one said anything for several minutes after that. Instead they walked around the seemingly empty forest, still no Grimm to be found.

"...You never tried to find her?" Ruby probably couldn't help but ask that question.

"I did try, after a couple years. Never had any luck." If Rue was particularly sad about that, she didn't sound so. "Truthfully, I don't even know what I would say if I did find her so maybe it's for the best. I found a new family here at Beacon, one that wouldn't ever give up on me."

Anything more that could have been said was interrupted by a deep guttural growl. The three of them tensed as a Beowulf wandered into a clearing ahead of them. It hadn't realized they were here yet, but it was only a matter of moments before it would. And once it did, there were surely others not far behind.

"Well kids, looks like story-time is over. Time to do what we came out here for in the first place."

* * *

These new gauntlets were small.

That was the first thought Autumn had as she slipped them onto either hand. Whether that was a good or a bad thing, it was too early to say. It was just different, was all.

Perhaps Luteus Oblido had just been unnaturally large? It was no exaggeration to say they had tripled the thickness of her arms while wearing them. In a way, that had been comforting. She felt safe when wearing those massive weapons. They had also been heavy and uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.

These new gauntlets at the very least felt comfortable, even if the protection department was lacking. The inside felt like it was lined with some kind of linen that flexed and fit around her arm. The metal on the outside was light, so much so she barely even felt the weight of them.

Also unlike her old gauntlets, these ones failed to cover her fingers, only extending up to the first knuckle. Elevated ridges lined what parts of her fingers they did cover and she could feel some kind of energy surging through them. Flipping them over to look at the palm, the center of the gauntlets each had a soft glowing circle that appeared to be the power source. Not that there was much to power, the luminescent orange metal only extending halfway up her forearm.

Again, she wasn't complaining… yet. It went without saying that these new gauntlets wouldn't come anywhere near in power to her old ones. However, these ones wouldn't one day take over her body and go on a murdering spree either. That was a point in their favor for sure.

"You going to just stand there and look at them all day or are we going to do this already?" Autumn's eye twitched at Yang's taunting. She shot a narrowed glare at the blonde on the other side of the combat ring. The older girl was just finishing up her stretches, cocky grin yet to leave her face since Autumn accepted this challenge.

Autumn's knuckles cracked as both hands balled into tight fists. There was no one else she would rather test these weapons out on. This girl had been annoying from the get-go and it only became worse now that she started dating her big brother. She couldn't wait to knock her down a peg or two.

"I'm ready whenever you are." She took a short step forward, planting her foot on the metal floor with an audible clap. Raising both fists into a boxing position, she lowered her center of mass and glared at Yang through the gap in her arms.

Yang didn't bother taking any such stance, standing straight and planting a hand on either hip. Autumn grit her teeth so hard she felt like they might crack or chip.

"Go Autumn!" Rouge cheered from the sidelines, waving with exaggerated movement. An open notebook sat on her lap. Blake sat quietly next to her, yellow eyes unblinking as she watched Autumn carefully.

"Well then? Come on, I'll give you the first hit." Yang lifted one hand from her hip and beckoned her forward with a single finger. That was all the invitation Autumn needed.

The left hand she had been clenching tight opened up and she extended her palm forward, just the way the little instruction notepad Ruby had left her illustrated. The glowing circle in the center of her palm glowed with a fierce orange light and began humming audibly, creating a whining noise as it charged up.

It was in that moment Yang realized she messed up, lilac eye's widening as she took a step back. That realization came a moment too late. With a blinding flash and a loud crack of thunder, a bolt of lightning flew from Autumn's palm.

An explosion rocked the training room and engulfed the blonde in a cloud of smoke before anyone could react. Autumn could only stare forward, eyes wide and jaw slack. She heard two notebooks hit the ground and was only vaguely aware of Rouge and Blake now standing.

Slowly, Autumn managed to peel her green eyes away from the impact and to the gauntlet that fired the attack. She then looked back at the still smoking spot.

Oh yeah… she liked these new gauntlets. A lot.

Just as Autumn finally started to consider checking to make sure Yang was actually okay, a wave of heat rolled over and stumbled her backwards. The smoke was blasted away, dispersed by a wave of red and golden energy. Standing in the center of that energy, was a completely unharmed Yang. If anything, she looked stronger. Eyes glowed red and the mega-watt grin on her face made Autumn more nervous than any snarl would have been capable.

The shoulder-length blonde hair lifted and swirled behind her and with a loud clap, she pounded either fist together. "Gotta hand it to my baby sister… she knows how to make one Hell of a weapon. This just got way more fun!"

Yang vanished for a split second, landing forward and to the left. Then it happened again, this time closer and to the right. Autumn recoiled on instinct, Yang quickly closing the gap between them in a zigzagging pattern. Her green eyes tried to keep up, but every time Yang landed she was already moving again.

This was bad. Autumn's whole mind was sending out warning signals, screaming for her to dodge. The problem with that was, she couldn't possibly dodge what she couldn't see. And before she could come up with a solution, Yang was on her.

Rather than see that, it was more like she sensed it. Autumn bent over backwards, dodging a wild haymaker. Roaring flames scorched her skin, but that was a minor discomfort at worst. Taking that fist to the face would have been far less pleasant.

Autumn staggered backwards and away, trying to properly regain her balance. Yang wouldn't give her such leisure and again she felt the powerful Aura wash over her. The younger girl moved before she even knew exactly how Yang was attacking her.

A devastating axe kick split the air and cracked the surface of the ground Autumn had just been standing on. If Yang was annoyed by Autumn's quick dodges, she didn't show it. If anything, her grin was becoming bigger and even more terrifying. She was enjoying this.

Autumn could feel that excitement washing over her… and in that moment saw what was happening. Her Semblance. It was working again, somehow bypassing Beacon's natural protections.

Whether it was the adrenaline from battle or simply because Yang's Aura was so powerful, Autumn was able to sense and feel her emotions. Along with being able to telegraph Yang's incoming attacks. Whatever the reason, she wasn't going to complain. Letting the older girl's overflowing passion bolster her own emotions, Autumn gave a cocky grin of her own.

Yang's Aura moved before she did, signalling that she was going for a right sweep. Autumn skipped over the attack and landed within Yang's guard, ducking low and swinging up. The knuckles of her new gauntlet caught Yang in the ribs.

 _Bzzt_

And sparks of electricity surged from the impact, zapping Yang akin to a taser and momentarily locking her muscles. Any other opponent that might have stopped long enough for Autumn to land a second blow. Now that she could see perceive Yang's Aura, she was able to understand the blonde's Semblance. She was absorbing the damage and using it to fuel herself, make her stronger.

That added strength gave Yang the power she needed to shrug off the electric pulse circulating through her body. Autumn could again see the wild haymaker before it happened. That didn't mean she was fast enough to dodge it.

Along with power, Yang had picked up speed and Autumn could only lift her other arm to defend. Ember Celica clashed with the tip of the orange gauntlet and the loud roar of a shotgun sent Autumn's world spinning.

She lost all sense of up, down, left and right. This brought with it the nauseating and familiar feeling of motion sickness, that lasted only for another second.

 _Crack_

Autumn let out a loud groan, her back having smashed into the bleachers just next to her younger sister. "Big sister… you okay?" Rouge poked her in the chin with the back of her pen after several moments of no motion.

"...Fine." Autumn groused, hand reaching around to rub her lower back. God damn that had hurt. Well, the impact had. After thinking about it for a couple seconds, she noticed that her forearm which had blocked the attack was surprising unharmed. She inspected the side of the gauntlet to find not so much of a scratch on it.

It had withstood the point-blank discharge of Yang's high-powered attack and didn't so much as waver. Autumn had to admit, that kid really knew what she was doing when it came to building weapons.

"Not bad, huh? Ruby outdid herself, if I say so myself." A gloved hand offered to help her off her butt. With no small amount of reluctance, Autumn accepted it and let Yang pull her to her feet.

"They're… okay, I guess." Autumn clenched and unclenched her free hand several times, looking down at the glowing circle in the center of her palm. She didn't know why she couldn't admit it out loud; These gauntlets were amazing. Only a fool would say otherwise.

Yang must have known what she was thinking because instead of getting angry she just let out a scoff. "Ready to go another round? I imagine Ruby is going to need more data than just that. I'll try and take it easier this next one."

Autumn's eyes snapped up, meeting Yang's gaze for the first time since she lost. "Don't take pity on me just cause you got one good shot. I'll make you regret it. Big brother taught me the basics of hand-to-hand himself."

"Oh?" Yang quirked an eyebrow, one side of her mouth curling in a lopsided smirk. "You're going to have to try a little harder then, otherwise I'll think my boyfriend ain't much of a teacher."

Autumn let out a low growl but didn't otherwise verbally respond. She and Yang began to stalk off back towards the fighting arena when Rouge cleared her throat. "I just realized… we need to name your new gauntlets!"

"Name them?" Autumn glanced back at her younger sister and then down at the gauntlets.

"Of course!" Rouge nodded rapidly, intertwining her hands in front of herself. "Every weapon needs a name. I already gave one to my new rapier: Flamme Rose."

Autumn's nose crinkled. "...why Rose?"

"It's what Ruby includes in the names to all the weapons she builds. All her weapons are her 'babies' or something like that." Yang said with a shrug. "You don't really have to follow that trend, she made them for you so name them whatever you feel like."

Autumn studied the orange gauntlets on her hands a little longer. She wasn't overly fond of having her weapon named after a flower. Of course, she wouldn't have these weapons at all if not for Ruby and her generosity. The little leader hadn't even asked for anything in return. She may not have always been good at expressing her gratitude, but this was one time she knew how.

"I think I'll call them… Blitz Rose."

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Hey, hey. So first chapter since the premier of Volume 4. Like with Volume 3, I probably won't compensate much if at all for any of the events that happen as the volume progresses. I'm hoping for some more info on Ruby's silver eye power, but if we don't get anything I'll just make something up. That part isn't important to the central plot anyways. This story is AU enough I'm not worried about it, at least.

Really, I was just using the silver eye training as a reason to give Rue some of her backstory anyways. I already fleshed out a little of Lily and Wanda's motivations so I figured I would at least give her a little something too.

As for the names of the weapons, Flamme and Blitz are German for Flame and Lightning respectively (At least, I've been led to believe so. I don't know German). Which is meant to be a nod to Weiss who more or less supplied all the materials for the weapons. And then of course, Ruby who designed and built them.

The omake was requested by Jerfardi, although I wasn't able to include all the gags I wanted without making it really long so it's kind of a truncated version.

* * *

 **Omake 48**

 _Violet's Part-time Job_

* * *

"...Are you absolutely sure this is the place?" Amethyst looked up at the sign of the cafe she and her girlfriend stood in front of, one eye quirked skeptically.

Allegretta let out a huff of feigned hurt and placed a hand delicately over her heart, the other brushing back a lock of gray hair and tucking it behind her ear. "Would I ever lie to you?"

"Yes." Amethyst didn't even hesitate. To her chagrin, Allegretta gave a guilty snicker before sticking her tongue out and making an exaggerated wink. Sometimes she had no idea what it was about this girl she had fallen in love with. "I'm being serious, Ally. This had better be legit.

"My sources are full proof!" Allegretta grinned, giving a victory pose. "Lily told me herself." Amethyst tried not to groan. As if she could trust anything from Violet's partner… let alone call it 'full proof'.

"Let's just… get this over with." With no small amount of reluctance, Amethyst pushed the door open and the two went inside...

"Welcome, will there just be the two of you- Geh!"

...and the very person who greeted them was exactly who they came to be, which also just happened to be the last person Amethyst really expected to see.

Standing in front of them, dressed from head to toe in an old-fashioned maid uniform was her ever proud, noble big sister, Violet. And boy did she not looked thrilled to see them. Her face was quickly turning several shades of red while the muscles around her mouth fought between a grimace and horror.

All in all, it painted a really funny picture and a slow grin began to spread across Amethyst's face. Oh yeah, this was already totally worth coming just for this one second alone.

"W-what are you two doing here?" Violet regained her voice first, although it was more shrill than Amethyst could ever recall hearing it in the past.

"Us?" Amethyst pointed at herself in mock disbelief. "What are you doing here?" She tried really hard not to snicker while speaking, a battle she wasn't winning, which only seemed to upset Violet more.

"I'm working." Violet hissed, hands now visibly shaking and she nearly crumbled the paper menus between them. "Lily told you about this, didn't she? How the heck did she even find out?"

Amethyst shrugged. "Beats me, and you know that wasn't what I was asking. Why are you working here?" For that matter, where did she get the time? Between classes, missions, and training, she managed to make time to get a part-time job too?

Violet's orange eyes darted back and forth, cheeks once again tinting with red as she held up the menus to cover her mouth. Amethyst heard her mumble something, but whatever it was she had no idea.

"What was that?" She cupped one hand over her ear and leaned forward.

"I-I thought the outfits were really cute, okay!" Violet half-shouted, eyes squeezing shut. "I always dress so plainly… and when I went shopping for something to make me look more feminine I came across this place… and I don't know, I just thought this was what I was looking for." One single eye peeked open, accessing warily for Amethyst's reaction.

Her first instinct was to snort, which only appeared to upset Violet all over again and before she could get yelled at she held up both arms in a placating manner. "Sorry, sorry. It's just not something I would normally expect to hear from you. I think it's cool, though." Violet quirked an eyebrow skeptically. "Seriously, I do."

She didn't know how to put it into words. Violet… wanted to change herself and was making an effort to do something she wouldn't normally do in order to accomplish that. It was something Amethyst respected about her sister, that strength she had to push forward no matter what the challenge… even if that challenge was putting on a maid outfit.

Rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, Amethyst then reached over to Allegretta and placed an arm over her shoulders. She felt her partner relax and lean into her. "We're on a date right now… our first one, actually." It was her turn to blush as she admitted this out loud for the first time.

Violet blinked several times. "Oh?"

"Y-yeah… you told us what you were doing here. And well, it was only fair for me to do the same." She glanced down at Allegretta to see her smile back up. "We're not doing anything fancy, just figured we would get some coffee."

"So what do you say, Violet?" Allegretta turned that smile towards her sister. "We would be honored if such a cute waitress as yourself would wait on us."

"Ah, yes." Violet cleared her throat, gave an awkward curtsy and then beckoned them forward. "If the two of you would come with me… I'll show you to your seats."

"Great." Allegretta nodded and the two of them followed after Violet.

As far as first dates went, Amethyst would say this one was off to a decent start… especially considering Violet wasn't trying to murder this one.


	55. Aurastone

Beta/creative assistant: Jefardi

Cover art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Aurastone_

* * *

In many different ways, Olivia was happy to be back at Beacon.

Even if the circumstances leading to her return were... less than satisfactory. To put it lightly.

Fox was dead. That seemed to be a truth she couldn't escape from. She had been to his grave every day since her arrival and even still it didn't feel like that truth had fully settled. Viridis Teresa, or Envy, as she learned its real name was, had been the true culprit behind that tragedy. That didn't make it any easier for her and Coco.

Everyday on her way to the grave, Coco met her halfway. Rather that was coincidence, or her underclassman was doing it on purpose, Olivia didn't ask. She didn't want to know. Truthfully, she was just thankful for the company. Somehow, it made it easier. Someone to share the guilt with.

There was far more death than just Fox, however. Deaths that Coco couldn't possibly help her bear the weight of. That didn't mean her family couldn't. Rouge, Autumn, and Joan were suffering the same way she was. Olivia could see how much the atrocities committed affected them. Some of those were ones she shared. As the eldest sister freed, it was her job to be strong for all of them.

Olivia had always felt she had a rather unique role among her siblings. She was only a year younger than Ciel, the closest sister to her in age. In a lot of ways, this had made her the baby of the elder half of siblings. Then she was three years older than the twins. This gave her some level of closeness and authority over the younger group that her elder siblings simply couldn't obtain.

She was the link between the younger and the elder groups. Olivia supposed her obsessive compulsive disorder had been born from that status. She wanted to be respected and strong, just like Violet, and in her quest to obtain that became obsessed with order and cleanliness. Controlling Ciel and Amethyst was impossible for her, forget about being able to hold a candle to their eldest sister.

However, her efforts had paid off and she earned the respect of her younger siblings. The four of them looked up to her and when she asked for help, they never questioned her. Sure, they complained about it, but they always threw their all into whatever task she set-up for them on a day to day basis.

She couldn't betray that respect now. She had to be strong for all of them. That was what she told herself… but somehow, she felt displaced. By Jaune of all their siblings. Despite being younger than her, he felt older and more self-assured than he ever had before this all began.

Olivia was proud of him, of course. How could she not be? It was like her little brother was growing up and becoming a man. The problem was, where did that leave her? Olivia felt her position slipping, being overtaken by the little brother who she used to have to look after and take care of only until a couple years ago. It would have been one thing if that change only affected her status among her siblings, but it also seemed to extend beyond that.

If Olivia had one regret about her graduation, it was that she had never confessed her feelings to Yatsuhashi properly. When she left Beacon, she was afraid she may have lost her chance to do so forever. So coming back and seeing him again, it felt like fate was giving her the ability to make up for that. Some part of her even dared hope that maybe he felt the same.

So she had been really excited when he came to the room to seek her out. Only… he hadn't been looking for her at all, but her brother. Olivia felt her cheeks puff out just thinking that and she looked up at the back of Yatsuhashi's head as she trailed slightly behind him and her younger sister.

It wasn't like she was jealous of her kid brother… much. She just didn't understand. Jaune and Yatsuhashi had known each other for a whole month, at most? She had known Yatsuhashi for years. Not to mention she only just got back after having not seen one another for some time. Shouldn't he want to spend time with her? Even if he didn't view her romantically.

Some small fear in the back of her mind told her that maybe it was because of what Envy had done to Fox. Perhaps that had permanently marred their former camaraderie in a way that couldn't be repaired. Her heart sunk just thinking about that as a possibility.

A hint of blue caught Olivia's attention and she glanced to see Joan looking back at her, silently asking her what it was she was thinking about. She gave her younger sister a tight-lipped smile and a noncommittal shrug, not willing to put any of it into words next to Yatsuhashi.

Joan seemed to realize she wasn't going to get any answers, so her attention turned back to the man walking next to them. "So I hear you and bro often play Shogi together."

"We do." Yatsuhashi nodded. "He is quite talented at the game, although he does not seem to realize it himself."

"That's Jaune for you, always down on himself." Joan smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "He used to play with Violet all the time. She could be… ruthless when it came to that game. Most things she took easy on Jaune, but not that since it requires your mind and isn't demanding on your hands. I think that's what he liked about playing. It was the only time, really, she didn't seem so conscious of his condition."

"I imagine it was quite difficult for all of you to find a satisfactory middle ground." He glanced backwards and Olivia met his eyes. Something about his look made her uncomfortable and before she was aware of it she was staring down at her feet. "Jaune and I have discussed it briefly. Some part of him wondered if you were all ashamed of him."

"What?!" Olivia's attention snapped back up. "H-he has to know that's ridiculous! We all love him, every single one of us." She looked to Joan for support, and was about blown away to see her younger sister, his twin, avert her eyes.

"Just because we love someone… doesn't mean we aren't ashamed of what happened to him." She mumbled this, the words sounding raw and bitter on her tongue.

"Joan?" Olivia didn't understand. What was she talking about? Where was this coming from?

"I didn't really think I was ashamed of him either. He's my twin, our very identity used to be our inseparability. It wasn't until someone pointed out to me how far out of my way I went to not talk about him while I was here that I realized how much I regret what dad did to him… and loathed how I was powerless to stop it."

"That's just-." Olivia shook her head, trying to deny what it was Joan was saying. "Just because Jaune didn't come up in conversation doesn't mean you were ashamed of him."

Joan gave her an empty smile before then looking up at Yatsuhashi. "Did Olivia ever tell you we had a brother? In all the time you spent training together or just hanging out?"

"She did not." Yatsuhashi's brief but frank answer stabbed her easier than any blade could have been capable. Her mind reeled, thinking back to all the conversations they used to have. She knew that family had come up several times. They had even met Ciel occasionally while she was still attending.

And yet… she had never talked about Jaune? That couldn't be right. She must have, she just couldn't remember it.

"Don't feel so bad about it, Liv." Joan fell back to walk next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's like you said, we all loved him. It just wasn't necessarily easy to talk about him. That's not his fault or ours. He understands that, I'm sure."

"He does." Yatsuhashi said with conviction. "He knows it wasn't always easy, but he also believed that you were all there for one another no matter the circumstance. In his own words, there was a balance to that old life."

"Balance?" Olivia wasn't so sure about that. If there had truly been something like balance, would things have spiralled so violently out of control?

"We can always ask him ourselves, there he is." Joan pointed ahead and she turned to see her younger brother was indeed not more than a little ways up. His twin had led them outside and into the courtyard and exactly like she had predicted, Jaune was standing in front of Beacon's famous statue.

"How did you know he would be here?" Olivia still didn't understand how they did it. She swore they could sense one another or something. That connection went both ways as Jaune perked up, seemingly for no reason, and turned to see them approaching. With a big smile, he held up one of his wrapped hands in greeting.

"What's up?" He asked only when they were within regular talking distance. At his question, both Olivia and Joan looked up at Yatsuhashi. They had coming looking for Jaune at his request, after all. Up until this point he had been pretty tight-lipped about why too.

Yatsuhashi gave a respectful bow in greeting. "Jaune, if you have the time, I would like to ask of you a request."

The blonde glanced for a brief second at his sisters to see if they knew what was going on. They could both only shrug, just as in the dark as he was. "Sure… I guess. If it's something I can help with, you know I wouldn't hesitate."

Giving a disarming smile, Yatsuhashi reached around to his shoulder and lifted the massive sword he was carrying off his back. With a sharp clink, he tapped the tip of the blade against the ground in front of him. "I would appreciate it, if you would give me the honor of accepting a duel."

"...What?"

* * *

"Okay, okay. You gotta back up a couple steps here." Yatsuhashi really wasn't surprised that his request was being met with so much bewilderment. Which is why he was more than willing to patiently explain it.

However, he didn't wish to divulge the details just yet to anyone, so he and Jaune had walked several yards away from the statue where they had left both his sisters. The two girls looked on curiously and with no small amount of unease.

"Why exactly do you want to fight me?" Jaune continued, not giving him a chance to respond. "Did I do something to offend you? Cause I'm sorry if I did-"

"It is nothing like that." Yatsuhashi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Jaune didn't relax, but he at least stayed silent. "There is actually something I must admit to you, first. I apologize for not telling you about this sooner. In fact, I deliberately left it out the last time you and I talked."

"Still not making any sense here, Yatsu."

"You're right, I apologize." Yatsuhashi took in a deep breath. He didn't realize it, but maybe he actually felt a little nervous? "Do you recall when you asked me for advice about Yang?"

Jaune gave a short nod. "Yeah, it's when you told me about the girl you used to like that graduated."

"Exactly." Yatsuhashi glanced sideways, his eyes locking with Olivia's indigo ones for a second. "The truth is, the girl I was talking about was your sister."

"Olivia?!" Jaune's voice raised and he immediately clamped both hands over his mouth, eyes conveying his guilt. Not that it looked like either sister had heard his outburst. "I uh… Wow. I didn't expect that, actually."

Yatsuhashi smiled. "Even I was surprised after I realized it."

"So you're challenging me to a duel because…" Jaune trailed off, waiting for the upperclassman to fill in the rest.

"It is a custom in the village I come from. Traditionally, I would challenge her father for the right to court her." Yatsuhashi gestured vaguely, hesitant to speak too bluntly. "As things are, I would like it if you would be the one to fill in that place."

"Yatsu…" Jaune hesitated. "Don't get me wrong, if you want to ask my sister out, I'm not going to stand in your way. But you know some of what happened between Joan and Ren, right?"

"I have my suspicions." No one had out right said anything, but there was an unusual tension between the members of JNPR lately. "If the trauma from Olivia's experiences makes her hesitant to start a relationship, I am prepared for that. I simply wish to make my feelings known before she has to leave again."

Jaune studied his face for several seconds before giving a noncommittal shrug. "I mean, that's all I wanted to say really. I know you, Yatsu, and I trust you to take good care of my sister. We don't really have to go through this whole duel thing. You'll simply kick my ass in the end anyways."

Yatsuhashi frowned. "The duel is not about winning or losing. It is simply about demonstrating the seriousness of my conviction to you."

"Consider me convinced."

"Jaune, please." His gaze didn't waver, silently urging him to accept his request. The blond let out a long, drawn out sigh before finally ducking his eyes.

"This is really important to you, huh?"

"It is." He hadn't been able to assist in saving Olivia from Envy and he knew this custom appeared silly and outdated to others. Even so, it was something his father had done and his father before him. Yatsuhashi didn't wish to be the one to end that tradition and he couldn't think of any other way to show how serious he was about this.

"I guess I can't blame you for wanting to stick to tradition. I'm equally guilty of that." Jaune gave him a half-hearted smile. "On the bright side, if you ever have kids there won't be any more swords so no need to make one of them a glyph bearer."

Yatsuhashi flinched. "I apologize. I didn't mean-"

"It was a joke, a joke." Jaune waved it off and paused. "Probably one in poor taste, my bad. So what are the rules of this duel? Any limitations?"

For several seconds, Yatsuhashi didn't respond, mind still lingering on Jaune's "joke". When he finally did respond, it wasn't with words. Asking Jaune directly would get him nowhere. Yatsuhashi knew this.

Instead, he reached into a pouch on his hip and removed a white crystal no larger than the palm of his hand. He held it up and Jaune quirked an eyebrow curiously at it.

"You seem to have gotten the wrong impression." Turning the crystal slowly, he let the light from the sun reflect off it and cause it to shine brightly. "I was not referring to a physical duel like when you and Pyrrha battled. What I wish to have is a contest of wills."

"Say what now?"

"It's Aurastone." Joan answered her twin's question, causing both men to jump. Neither had heard her approach. She stood a few paces away and roughly between them. Olivia was only a couple steps behind, glancing anxiously at the crystal.

"So what's the deal with this Aurastone?" Jaune asked. "Are we playing like a game of keep-away with it?" He glanced at his elder sister and then followed her gaze back to the white rock.

Joan giggled and shook her head. "Nothing like that. It's more accurate to think of it as a game of tug-of-war."

"Precisely." Yatsuhashi held his hand out and then willed his Aura to flare to life. The crystal in his hand began to float and hung suspended several feet in the air above his palm. "The Aurastone is a specially refined Dust sample. It is hypersensitive to the energy within our soul. Even just a little bit is enough to do this." He let the energy fade and the stone dropped back into his palm with an audible clap.

"It's commonly used in duels like what Yatsuhashi is proposing." Olivia adjusted her hair as she explained. "The duelists face one another and apply their will to the Aurastone. The one with the greater will controls that stone and pushes it towards their opponent. The duel ends when it touches either one of you."

Jaune's face contorted, a complicated expression forming and he paused to consider this new information. "And… what exactly do you plan to gain from this kind of duel?" Like before, he had once again become hesitant.

The fact that he was okay with a physical battle he knew he would lose but something about this bothered him was telling in and of itself. "It's just tradition." Yatsuhashi stated simply.

"...Okay." Jaune sighed. He still didn't look enthused, but he also couldn't possibly back out now. It would look too strange to his sisters. So with no other choice, he accepted.

Holding the stone out to his twin, Yatsuhashi smiled at her. "Would you mediate the duel for us?"

"Oh- yeah." She looked startled for only a second before taking the Aurastone. Once it left his hand, he stood and nodded to Jaune one last time. His friend nodded back, giving a tight-lipped smile as he did. They both backed away from one another and silently prepared their will.

Which meant the only thing left was to wait for Joan to start the match.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Shameless promotion time. So in between chapters for this story, I posted a short story titled Flower which is about Violet and her team's Beacon Initiation and how they all came to meet one another. Originally I was going to post it as an omake series in here, but it would've been seventeen omakes. So I decided not to go that route and published it as a stand-alone instead. So if you want more Violet, Lily, Wanda, and Rue and you haven't done so already, give it a peek. Or don't, you know, whatever works best for you.

Now onto the real reason this chapter took so long which is because I could not for the life of me decide what kind of duel I was going to make Jaune and Yatsuhashi have. Originally, I was just going to have them fight normally. However, I just could _not_ write that battle and make it come out interesting for the life of me. I think that's mostly because there are literally zero stakes in such a fight. Regardless, I did want them to have a competition of some kind and while rereading some of the earlier novels in the Dresden Files I remembered the Mordite duel Harry and Ortega had.

So I lifted the idea of Aurastone and duel of wills right from there and will be using it for the main event between the two of them.

Now onto the omake, yet another five-parter. This time one where Violet and Amethyst duke it out once and for all to determine the stronger of the two.

* * *

 **Omake 49**

 _Violet vs Amethyst (Part I)_

* * *

"This is it everyone! The fight you all have been waiting for!" Professor Port's booming voice carried across the entirety of the Amity Coliseum, easily overpowering the roar of the crowd as they waited for the final match of the tournament to begin.

"On this side, winning all her previous matches in spectacular fashion and the eldest heir to her renowned family lineage… Violet Arc!" Violet stood with her orange eyes closed, preparing herself mentally and physically for what would undoubtedly be the toughest battle she ever fought. The sounds of the crowd washed over her, their excitement palpable through every fibre of her being.

"And facing off against her-" Oobleck continued where Port had left off, his rapid-fire voice conveying his own excitement. "Is none other than Violet's very own younger sister, Amethyst Arc!"

Violet opened her eyes back up and stared across the arena, making contact with the blood red of Amethyst's glare. On the outside, Amethyst look bored, uninterested even. She stood with both hands in her pockets, stance slack and scythe balancing precariously in between her hip and arm. However, her tight-locked jaw and fierce, determined glow in those eyes gave away exactly what she was really thinking.

To Amethyst, this was a battle she had no intention of losing. She was going to come at Violet with everything she had. And Violet had no intention of returning her resolve with anything less. She had no idea what would happen if they both fought all out.

Neither of them had ever been serious against one another before and more often than not, Amethyst was content with just relenting to her as the elder sister. That was not the case today and they were finally going to find out which of them truly was the strongest.

"Now then… let's have the final match of the Vytal tournament… begin!" Violet and Amethyst both began to stroll forward at the same time. The platform they were on began to rise and a ring of lights flicked on one by one, perfectly illuminating the two eldest Arc sisters for the whole world to see.

Violet wondered if their family was watching. What would they think of sister fighting sister? Maybe they were just hoping to see a good match? No matter which one of them won, this year's Vytal Tournament was a victory for the Arc family.

She cast those pointless thoughts aside as she and her younger sister both stopped in the middle of the arena, no more than two paces from one another. Violet placed a single hand on the hilt of her katana, the other reaching around and grasping the sheath. Orange eyes looked up at red and Violet realized for the first time that Amethyst was taller than her.

Amethyst must have had a similar thought. Violet could think of no other reason for the mischievous sparkle in her "little" sister's eyes. She would expect something like it from Ciel, but to see such emotion in Amethyst was a rare sight.

One of Amethyst's hands came up, causing Violet to tense. She needn't have bothered, her sister only reaching for the headphones wrapped around her neck. Before the battle begun, she would no doubt put them on in an attempt to drown out the screaming of the damned trapped inside that scythe.

Before that… wouldn't it be appropriate to say something? Was there even anything worth mentioning to one another in this situation? Wishing her something like luck would be nothing short of condescending. They got here on their own strength and with the assistance of their team. Luck had nothing to do with it and wouldn't determine the outcome of this match.

In the end, nothing felt right and so Violet kept her mouth shut. Amethyst was equally silent, lifting her headphones up and placing them over her ears. They both already knew everything they could possibly say to one another anyways. After all, they had been together since Violet had been two years old. She couldn't even remember a time before Amethyst was there.

Words could come after the match. That was what felt right, for both of them.

"Fighters ready?" Neither of them responded to Peter's booming voice, only staring at one another intently. Everything else bled into the background, only barely registering on their consciousness. Violet could only partially recognize Oobleck's voice as he began the countdown.

"Three,"

Amethyst's eyes flickered to the screen for a brief second, unable to hear the countdown.

"Two,"

The scythe on her shoulder shifted, just enough for Violet to know her sister's grip on it tightened.

"One,"

Both sisters gave one another a small, confident smirk.

"Fight!"

And then the battle between the two strongest Arc sisters began.


	56. Duel of Wills

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Duel of Wills_

* * *

"Ready?" Joan glanced at her brother first and then at the upperclassman.

They both nodded silently and then held their arms up in front of themselves, palms extended out. All she had to do now was release the Aurastone and the duel would officially begin. She still didn't know with absolute certainty why they were having this competition, but she did have a nagging suspicion.

Olivia fidget, shifting balance from her right foot to her left, the movement almost imperceptible out of the corner of Joan's eye. She knew about her big sister's crush on Yatsuhashi. It was fairly evident even back when Olivia was still attending Beacon and it wasn't any less so now.

So it was probably fair to assume Yatsuhashi had finally gotten a clue and was now using this duel to prove his resolve to the only male left in their family. But that logic was flawed because of the very fact that the one male left was Jaune.

That thought wasn't meant to belittle her twin. It was just a matter of fact. He didn't care whether or not any of them dated. He had always been fairly receptive to the idea of them getting boyfriends or girlfriends of their own. He was always happy when Allegretta came by and never seemed bothered by Ciel's infrequent flings.

Put in other words; Jaune was entirely willing to the idea of them all finding a significant other, which he also seemed to prove by working so hard to date as well. So in a contest of wills… Yatsuhashi's feelings could be completely shallow and insincere - not that Joan thought they were - and he would still win because Jaune simply was not the least bit opposed to the idea.

Anyone who spent any time with Jaune should know this. That included Yatsuhashi. So then, why? Joan couldn't understand why he would insist on having the duel anyways. It also probably wasn't worth thinking over any longer and so with just a little bit of force she willed the Aurastone a couple inches above her hand.

"Begin." She didn't say it loud, just barely enough for them both to hear. The moment the stone had left her palm and it had already begun to move…

...towards Yatsuhashi.

Joan stared at it in disbelief. It hadn't just started to hover over towards the upperclassman slowly or with much resistance. It would be more accurate to say it had taken off like a rocket. Only when it was about a foot from him did it finally crawl to a stop, the bigger man having managed to match his will to Jaune's own.

Watching two people duel with Aurastone was usually a rather boring affair, so it usually didn't attract much of a crowd. Really, it just looked like two people staring at one another while the crystal between them floated one way or the other. Most times it didn't even look like they were doing much of anything, except perhaps contorting their faces in concentration. Which was exactly how Yatsuhashi's face looked now.

He was putting every possible ounce of thought into maintaining control of the stone and keeping it from edging any closer to him. If he lost ground for even a split second, the stone was close enough now that it would decide the match then and there.

Joan blinked. Then she blinked again, just to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Slowly, her head turned back towards Jaune. His expression was even more surprising than Yatsuhashi's. Rather, the complacency of it was. It didn't even look like he was trying.

Jaune must have seen her looking, his blue eyes darting towards her for a second. That brief lapse in concentration was enough for Yatsuhashi to gain control of the Aurastone. It pushed towards Jaune about four feet before it stopped completely, the blonde's focus returning. There was only about fifteen feet total between the two boys, and it would be more accurate to say it was still ten feet from Jaune, leaving it only five from Yatsuhashi.

"I don't suppose-" Jaune gave a guilty smile. "That having a large Aura gives you the advantage in these sort of competitions?"

Joan shook her head. "It can affect the outcome slightly… but you both would have to feel near equally about the issue. There's no way it would tip the scales this much in your favor."

"I was afraid of that." Jaune said.

"You…" Joan tried to process what this meant. All their lives, the twins had thought nearly the same as one another. You could ask their opinion on almost anything and they would give you the same answer. As if to test it, sometimes their siblings would split the two of them up just to ask them the same question to see if the response differed. It almost never did. She used the word 'almost' because there was one topic they didn't agree on.

While it could be said that Jaune was always enthusiastic and supportive about the idea of his sisters dating, Joan was the exact opposite. Growing up, none of them ever had any friends and always had to look out for one another. That kind of life formed a fairly tight-knit group between the eight of them. So the idea of one of them finding someone more important to them than each other… Joan never liked the idea.

"All this time." She continued. "You've felt the same way as me about it all this time." She couldn't hide the incredulity in her voice. She didn't want to try and hide it.

Jaune flinched. The stone drifted another two feet closer to him and stopped again. His eyes kept darting from Joan, to the stone, back to Joan again. His brain was clearly attempting to gain some kind of traction but between that and having to focus on his will he couldn't possibly come up with an excuse. His lips trembled and finally sputtered a lone syllable.

"Yes."

"Then why!?" Joan yelled, sudden anger taking over. The stone moved another foot, shifting it past the middle divide and placing it closer to her twin. "All this time you knew how much it bothered me when you started dating Reese. You knew exactly how it must have made me feel. We never needed anyone else. So long as we all had each other, we never needed anyone. So if you thought the same thing as me, knowing all that, why did you start dating her? And why did you start dating Yang now?"

Jaune's free hand, the one not extended out to maintain his will on the Aurastone, clenched. "Because you were all leaving me behind."

Joan blinked again. "What?" She couldn't comprehend his statement. There was no way he was making it up right now. He didn't have the luxury of being able to fabricate a lie in his current predicament. Even so, it wasn't a thought process she could follow.

"Look, can we talk about this in a minute? I'm losing my focus here." Jaune's voice was strained. He lost another foot to Yatsuhashi, leaving the Aurastone only six feet away now.

"Is it truly your focus?" Yatsuhashi asked, speaking for the first time since the duel began. "Or are your twin's words cutting back at your will?" He made a good point, Joan realized. If Jaune was simply losing focus it would explain why he would lose ground temporarily, but it wouldn't explain why he wasn't able to gain it back.

Even from the very beginning Jaune was hesitant. If there was zero hesitance he would have won right from the moment the match started and Yatsuhashi wouldn't have been able to counter. The upperclassman must have suspected this about him, otherwise there wouldn't have been a point in having this duel. It was the only way to get Jaune's true, honest feelings on the matter.

Making up her mind, Joan said. "This can't wait. What did you mean by that?"

"..." Jaune didn't say anything right away, putting all his focus back on the Aurastone. For several moments, she even wondered if he heard her at all. Only when the stone failed to move in either direction did he finally begin to speak again.

"It started with Violet." He admitted, voice full of resign. "She came here to Beacon and for the first time, one of us made friends. Then it happened again with Amethyst and she met Allegretta. I began to realize that Beacon was different. Every time one of you came here, you changed. You all became stronger than you already were… and you made relationships that had nothing to do with the rest of us."

Joan's eyes widened as it finally clicked. She wasn't his twin for nothing, although it took her a long time to finally figure out what it was he had been thinking this whole time. What Jaune felt when he watched them go off to Beacon one at a time was the exact same thing Joan had felt when he first started dating Reese. There was… a certain inevitability to it. She knew she couldn't fight it, so instead of trying to or talking him out of it, she put on a brave face and did her best to support him.

This whole time, he had been doing the exact same thing. He didn't want them to come to Beacon, he didn't want them to become strong while he remained weak, and he didn't want them to make friends that he felt like would replace him. But what could he do about it? So this whole time he just sucked it up, grinned, and told them he was happy.

"I suppose," Jaune continued. "When I started dating Reese, it was because I was just trying to ensure I was the one who changed before you did. At the same time, I wasn't able to let go of you completely like I felt you all were going to be able to do. Looking back on it like that, it's no wonder things ended the way they did between us."

"You're an idiot." Those were the words Joan wanted to say. At the same time, those were the words she couldn't say. After all, she was just as big an idiot as he was. So it was inevitably their elder sister that the task fell to.

"You seriously think any single one of us cared less about you?" Olivia stomped forward, indigo eyes flaring angrily. Jaune was quick to avert his gaze, unless he get trapped in her Semblance by accident. "You seriously think _Violet_ cared less about you just because she made friends?"

As Olivia continued her tirade, the Aurastone moved a foot closer to him. It was only five feet away now.

"If you seriously believed that then you should have _talked_ to one of us about it! You didn't have to be fake with us, we're your family." It shifted another foot closer. "If you can't be honest with us then who can you be honest with? Isn't that what Violet always said?" Yet another foot.

Jaune tried to rebuff her. "I know now that I was just being insecure-"

"You clearly don't!" Olivia cut him off, gesturing to the Aurastone. It was all the proof they needed to know that even if on the surface Jaune had realized his mistakes, deep down he still hadn't completely let go of those fears of abandonment. He was still the same maimed kid from before this all started. Even if the swords were no longer around, their shadow still loomed over them all and Jaune was no exception to that.

"Jaune…" Olivia's voice cracked and her shoulders shook. She had already stepped past Joan so she could only see the back of her green hair, but when her hands came up to her face, it was obviously to wipe away tears. "I love you, you moron. I'm your big sister so I'm always going to love you, not even a little bit less. No matter what feelings I have for anyone else, they don't diminish that."

Olivia paused long enough to give a shaky breath and swallow the lump that formed in her throat. "So please just let go and be happy for all of us. The same way I'm happy for you."

The stone started moving again this time gradually slid across the remaining three. Jaune's fingers curled around the white crystal as it met his palm and he let his arm fall to the side.

"Okay." He conceded with a hoarse whisper, blue eyes sparkling with unfallen tears of his own. He then nodded to Yatsuhashi, who at least had the decency to look embarrassed. Perhaps it had been his intention to drag all these feelings out from Jaune so he could date Olivia without guilt. Although this little family drama was probably more than he had bargained for.

"You're a good friend, Yatsu." Maybe Jaune should have been mad at him for putting him in that situation. Maybe he was and just burying his emotions again. Joan liked to think he wasn't this time. "Don't be too rough on him, sis." He gave a strained smile as he walked past her, pausing just long enough to rest a hand on her shoulder.

"Olivia…" Yatsuhashi shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. It was no secret to anyone anymore what he wanted to say. It was also kind of tough to follow up that last act with his intentions. "I didn't realize your feelings until it was too late. And I didn't realize that I returned them until after."

"You're really slow, moron." Olivia tried to smile at him, but the effect was somewhat ruined by how thin lipped it was and her tearstained cheeks. Even so, it appeared to put him at ease.

"I know." He said, stepping closer to her.

Not feeling like intruding on them any longer, Joan slowly began to back away. She made her way over to the statue, where Jaune was now sitting on the ledge. His head was bowed and he seemed to be inspecting the Aurastone, slowly turning it around in the palm of his hand.

"Hey." She sat down next to him, wishing she knew what to say so as not to sound so awkward.

"Hey." He responded, just as awkwardly. Something about that was funny. She didn't even know they were still capable of being awkward around one another, after everything they had been through. It just went to show how strong the awkward Arc gene was.

At the same time he did, she gave a snort of laughter. Jaune lifted his head and looked ahead. She followed his gaze to see Olivia standing in front of Yatsuhashi, her head pressed against his chest - which was actually kind of impressive considering their height difference - and he resting his hands on either shoulder. A comfortable silence settled over them as they watched their elder sister finally find something happy since being set free from her sword.

It was a silence they couldn't continue forever, no matter how much they both appreciated the simplicity of it. "It's kind of a relief." Joan started. "I always thought you were the one drifting away from me. To know that you actually did feel the same way all this time, it assured me that you and I really are twins."

"Sorry if I gave you an identity crisis." She would have berated him for apologizing when he didn't have to if it wasn't for the snark in his voice.

Instead she shoved him in the shoulder with her own. "Jerk." She laughed.

Jaune smiled too, but it didn't last more than a second. "...You know, I was serious about wanting you to be happy? Even if it's hard for me to accept the idea of you dating, I really don't think you should run away from Ren and his feelings."

"Is that why you started going out with Yang now?" Joan looked at him, studying his face. "In order to try and convince me it was okay, even when you didn't believe it yourself?"

She expected him to avoid her gaze. He didn't, turning to look right into her blue eyes. "It's more complicated than that. But… I'd be lying if I said that wasn't at least one part of it." He knew exactly how she felt about him dating and not just because she told him. It was because he felt it too. "Yang… I feel like she makes me a better person. I don't know how to describe it. There's something about her that I'm just drawn to."

"Heh, she does have that effect on people. Her and Ruby both." Joan nodded, at least understanding some of what Jaune was saying. "They must have got it from their dad or something." She glanced back at Olivia again. "Am I… the weird one?"

"What do you mean?"

Joan shrugged, still thinking about how to word it. "I just don't know. Are any of us real stable enough right now to be thinking about things like dating and relationships? We're all just so… damaged. Even if we do accept their feelings, aren't we just doing it because we want someone to make us feel normal? How is that fair to Yatsuhashi? To Yang? To… to Ren?"

"Ah." Jaune nodded in understanding. "I think I learned something being here at Beacon. After making friends with so many different kinds of people. It's actually kind of easy to see why this place changed you all, having spent time here myself. You learn things about people." He paused, as if waiting for her to inquire further.

She didn't see what that had to do with her questions, but she played along anyways. "Like what?"

"We're all damaged." Jaune's immediate answer hit her like a splash of cold water. "Not just you, me, and our sisters. Everyone. Everyone has baggage. I guess you could say our damage is probably a little more raw than theirs right now. It's still pretty fresh, after all. If we're going to have a relationship with someone… you have to learn to share that baggage and be able to shoulder theirs too. The sharing part doesn't exactly come easy to us, Arcs. We hate being burdens on others, but they want us to share it anyways. _Ren_ wants you to share that pain with him, he wants to be able to help you past it."

Joan just sat there in a stunned silence, absorbing her twin's words and turning them over in her head. She couldn't speak for all Arcs like he was claiming for, but she could at least say he was right about her. It wasn't that she was arrogant enough to believe she could shoulder everyone's problems on her own, but it wasn't wrong to say that she wouldn't be tempted to try. All the while not sharing with them her own burdens. Even the ones she currently had.

She puffed out a small breath of air while the corners of her mouth creeped into a self-deprecating smirk. "Just when did you find the time to become so eloquent?" It wasn't exactly a talent she had ever exactly obtained, despite all the time she spent at Beacon and Jaune had been here only a fraction of that time.

"...They're not my words." Jaune's eyes glazed over as if he was thinking about something that happened long ago "They're just a distant memory and I twisted them a little to apply to our current situation. But they're not mine. Honestly, I don't even have the right to use them."

"I don't get it." Joan shrugged and reached over, resting a hand overtop one of his. "But thanks anyways. I think they may have helped me a lot." He probably knew they would. That's why he said them, after all.

"If that's the case, then it was worth it." Jaune gave a smile to match her own. "The only thing I ever wanted was to help you and the rest of our sisters. Just a little bit more now and I'll have finally…" His voice drifted off as he seemingly got lost in thought.

She thought about reminding him that he had more than just them now. Some selfish part in the back of her brain was happy that he would still place only his sisters above everyone else in the whole world, even his new friends and Yang. So she didn't say anything and instead just rested her head on his shoulder, her hand still in his.

It was the most like herself she had felt in a long time.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** Happy New Year everyone! First chapter of the year and continuing right where the last one left off. I'm not really sure how a chapter about a duel between Jaune and Yatsuhashi turned into a personal conflict between Joan and Jaune, but it did.

The omake also continuing where the last one left off, this time some of the actual battle. I'm trying something a little different and doing third-person omniscient for these omakes instead of third-person limited. It has the downside of making the battle feel a little more impersonal but it makes it easier to step back and just talk about their actions and abilities, so there's a trade-off there.

* * *

 **Omake 50**

 _Violet vs Amethyst (Part II)_

* * *

Fire exploded in every conceivable direction, leaving not a single inch of the floating arena unscathed.

It was so bright and powerful, the audience had to adjust their eyes lest they risk going temporarily blind. And so hot they could feel the heat rolling over them in waves, each one making their skin perspire despite the protective barrier set-up by the Amity Coliseum.

The flames were so destructive, there was no way anyone within their vicinity could possibly be alive. Both participants were certainly already beyond the point of saving. Every single eye in the stadium turned up to the floating Aura bars displayed above them. What they all surely expected to see was two empty gauges, the lives of Violet and Amethyst Arc lost in the attack.

An attack no one truly knew who had been responsible for it. The famous Arc rapier, Fia Vesta, was renowned for its flames, but neither girl wielded that weapon. Some of their minds even suspected foul play, or perhaps some kind of terrorist attack. What they saw instead of two blinking, empty gauges was two nearly full green bars that were slowly, meticulously lowering. The crowd looked back down to the roaring flames but again were unable to gaze into them for more than a couple seconds at a time.

The interior of the arena was completely obscured from their eyes.

And standing perfectly unharmed within those flames were the contenders who had yet to make a move, along with a slowly growing army of spirits. Amethyst was obscured even to Violet's eyes by the flames that washed over her continuously, not causing any harm thanks to her incorporeal Semblance.

Violet was crouched in the exact same position as when the match started, one hand on the sheathe to her katana, the other on the hilt. The flames and even the heat warping around her as they failed to close in. The only reason either of them were losing Aura at all was from the stress of maintaining their Semblances that offered them protection. If either of them lowered these powers for a second and the match would be decided.

A black-haired man stood in the flames with them, a faint purple glow around him signaling that he was someone long dead and summoned by the scythe to fight for Amethyst. These flames were his and so long as he remained, he could likely continue this attack indefinitely.

Amethyst knew this wouldn't be enough to win, of course. Violet had more Aura than her and Amethyst's Semblance drained that Aura quicker than Violet's did. These were simple truths. If she wanted to win, she couldn't do so in a war of attrition like this.

This was something she knew from the beginning and winning with her spirit's flames was never the objective. It was only a method of which to buy time. The moment Violet began to draw her katana, time would slow for her and this match could be decided in that split second if Amethyst wasn't quick enough to trigger her Semblance.

The sad fact was, Aura didn't even matter in this match. The first one to land a decisive blow with their weapon would be the winner. The swords just had so much Ambience that they ignored Aura altogether. So whether their Aura was full or empty, the result would be the same.

Which was why Amethyst needed to be able to draw out as many spirits as possible. This took time, however, and no small amount of concentration. She wasn't even sure she could control this many spirits out of the scythe at once. If she had even the slightest hope of defeating Violet, she needed to transcend her limits.

Violet knew this was what Amethyst must have been thinking too. They were sisters, the closest in age to one another. Before they had any other siblings, there was only them. So Violet simply waited. Her chance to attack would come, but trying to move in this inferno was asking to lose.

To the crowd it must have felt like hours passed by without any change. In reality, the attack only lasted for several seconds. When the fire finally gave out, the last orange flames flickering, they had to wait with deep held breaths for the smoke to clear.

When it finally did, Amethyst and Violet were no longer alone. Standing on the arena with them were at least twenty other figures, some of them infamous criminals from the past that everyone had heard about, others whose names had been lost to time.

Every single one of them stared at Violet with single-minded ambition. Their only objective was Amethyst's: Step out of her big sister's shadow. With this victory, she could finally do that. Finding a way around Violet's Semblance was incredibly difficult, but with this many powerful allies on her side she could do it. She knew she could.

Violet's orange eyes glanced at each opponent she now faced individually, mentally noting those she recognized for their abilities. Some of them she didn't know, but that just meant she had to be cautious. The important thing was Amethyst. She would need to land the finishing blow personally to end this as quickly as possible. These spirits were just a distraction.

She pushed up on her katana, revealing a flash of steel. All the spirits jumped into action at once, brandishing their weapons and abilities in an effort to suppress her.

None of them stood a chance.

The crowd nor Amethyst could track it as it happened. Violet was standing there one second. The next she wasn't. Myriads of elements and colors rained down on the spot she had been, most of those attacks splashing off one another in a violent explosion.

Then as if by magic, half of those spirits were torn to shreds, their ghastly flesh turning into purple, ectoplasmic wisps that hung suspended in the air and leaving only a heart-sized glowing orb behind. Violet didn't land the finishing blow on these orbs. While it was true she ran the risk of them spawning in a couple seconds if she didn't, there was no point in permanently stunting Amethyst's weapon of those spirits for the sake of a sport.

This was a fact Amethyst was well aware of and she certainly could have spent the energy to have them reform. It would only take a second and she could have them attacking again. Violet would end up trapped in a never-ending cycle while Amethyst just hid behind her Semblance and remained out of harm's way.

That wouldn't be a real victory, however. Amethyst wanted to win, she wanted to win so badly. But only if it was on her own merits and using spirits that would have already been killed in a real battle didn't count. So she allowed those slain orbs to remain floating and didn't bother to restore them.

Red eyes flicked around the arena, looking for any sign of Violet and where she might appear next. A flicker of purple appeared out of the corner of her eye and she spun, just in time to witness Violet's terrifying, efficient skill in action.

Ostrum Tempus only slowed time while it was being drawn. This meant while it was still in the sheath. Once it was completely removed, Violet's time returned to normal and she was vulnerable again.

In order to combat this weakness of the sword, Violet had spent her whole life perfecting Iaijutsu. She drew the sword and resheathed it so quickly, most people never even saw her approach until it was past too late.

Amethyst only caught sight of Violet for that split second and in that second she didn't even see the actual form of her katana, the blade and arm that drew it merely a blur that hacked her fire-user to shreds just like the spirits before it. Then Violet was gone again and the next closest spirit succumbed to the same brutal treatment.

They were helpless to do anything. Even if Amethyst could predict where Violet was going to appear next, she would be long gone before the attacks even left the tips of her spirits' fingers, forget about actually being able to hit her.

Which just meant it was time for Plan B.


	57. Reconcile

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Reconcile_

* * *

Watching Ren and Nora made it painfully clear to Pyrrha; she had no idea what to do about their team.

Saving Joan and getting their leader back was supposed to have fixed everything. Sure, they knew things wouldn't be quite as simple and straightforward as that. Yet it was supposed to be better than this. Better than it was. The awkward tension that hung in the air was unbearable and it made even just being in their dorm room together almost impossible.

Which was probably why their leader spent absolutely no time in here at all recently. In fact, she went out of her way to avoid them pretty much entirely the past couple days. Pyrrha could try to deny it and say that it was only normal for her to seek out spending time with her family. Especially her sisters who could relate to what she was going through on a deeper level than anyone else possibly could. It would be so easy to say that was all this was.

That would just be deluding herself and she wasn't foolish enough to do that again. It was her delusions that nearly got them all killed when she should have listened to Jaune in the first place. Maybe this wasn't so different? This was a problem that they could only get through by talking to one another.

The only two that really knew what was going on were Ren and Joan. Pyrrha and Nora, for better or worse, had removed themselves from the conversation that completely threw a wrench into their barely salvaged return to normalcy. Joan never stuck around long enough to try and explain and Ren was tight-lipped, even for him.

Not even Nora could get it out of him. Which meant it was worse than they could've imagined. Something their most bubbly teammate was taking very hard. The whole thing wouldn't have happened if she hadn't tried to push them together in the first place. At least, that must have been what she was thinking.

In hindsight, Pyrrha realized that this would've happened sooner or later no matter what any of them did. Not necessarily this exact problem, but Joan's disposition was just a minefield of potential issues that they would've stumbled across eventually. Trying to hook her and Ren up just happened to be the one they hit first.

Were they going to shut down like this every time something happened? Was that the future of the team they worked so hard to restore? If they couldn't show Joan they were stronger than this, she really would quit. At this point, Pyrrha wasn't sure there was much she could do to convince her to want to continue. All the memories and times they spent together, all her success on the battlefield, forever tarnished by the stain of Crocea Mors. Of Wrath.

In order to escape from that, they needed to build new memories now. Better memories. Sitting around moping while the team fell apart wasn't the way to do that. Which meant it was high time she do something about it, starting by getting to the bottom of all this. That meant forcing Ren to open up, even if he didn't want to.

Pyrrha started to stand, rising from the chair placed in front of her desk. The usually neat and organized workspace was a wreck, strewn with books and homework that she was weeks behind on. The Professors of Beacon were sympathetic to their plight and had been giving them all the time they needed to catch up. Just when it started to look like she might be able to and all this new drama started.

Both teammates sat on their respective beds. Nora pretended to read a book, leaned back against the wall, and headphones on. It was obvious that she was pretending to read because every couple seconds her eyes would dart up to Ren before quickly dashing back to a static place in the center of the same page she'd been on for the past hour.

Ren was cross-legged, Stormflower disassembled and the numerous components of the sub machine guns spread across the sheets. With calm, practiced motions he went over the meticulous process of wiping down the entire weapon, piece by piece, ensuring it was clean and well oiled. An unnecessary task at this point, this being the third time he'd done such a thing since the last time he used them.

Pyrrha doubted he was even really aware of what he was doing. It was just a force of habit for him, something to bury his thoughts in, instead of thinking about what had happened. He was so deeply involved in the process he didn't even notice her stand, which was just as well. She glanced at Nora first, emerald eyes meeting turquoise and a silent conversation beginning, (which was no small feat for their most hyperactive teammate) the two of them quickly reaching a similar consensus.

It was time to end this.

Pyrrha cleared her throat, which still wasn't enough to get their male teammate's attention. "Ren." She said in a low, but commanding tone, leaving no room for him to possibly ignore her. He gave a startled jolt, nearly dropping the barrel of Stormflower. When he looked up, it might have been mild irritation that initially blemished his face, but it was readily swapped to weary concern and guilt when it became apparent that both other teammates were staring at him expectantly.

He inhaled a quick breath, shoulders aligning and forearms bracing as if he was expecting to intercept a tackle. "I apologize, I must have zoned out. What can I do to help you?" Even his tone was rigid - probing - no doubt trying to ward them off from their obvious inquiry.

Anyone else and Pyrrha might have heeded the warning signals he was giving off and pulled back, but their team was long past the point of trying to skirt around someone's comfort zone. "We need to know what happened between you and Joan that day." The only way they were going to get through this was by charging head-first into it. Rip off the bandaid, she believed the saying went.

Realizing he wasn't getting out of this by putting up a wall, Ren's features swiftly transformed, the tension that had been building in his muscles slackened and his eyes gave away no emotion for her to get a read on. "I already told you." He said robotically. "Nothing happened. She… stopped me from being able to say anything. That's all there was to it."

"Ren." Nora slipped the headphones off her ears and placed the device around her neck. She pushed off the wall with her back and leaned towards him, placing the palms of both hands on the bed. "Please."

There was a small flicker of emotion in his face for a moment, an almost melancholic twitch, but it was gone too fast for Pyrrha to say anything more about it than that. "I know it must look strange, she started avoiding us right after, but I'm telling you the truth. I didn't get to say anything. She made it clear she wasn't willing to hear me out just yet, so I left it at that. I'm just as confused about why she's avoiding us as you are."

The two girls shared another quick look, Nora's disbelief matching Pyrrha's own. Ren made a small grunt of displeasure as if to say that he was still right there and could see them talking about him with their eyes. His partner looked at him and said "Look, I get that you're embarrassed about being rejected, but you can't let it get you down. We're just trying to help."

"Rejected?" Ren recoiled, an actual treble of panic in his voice and magenta eyes going wide. "I-I didn't even confess." He placed a hand on his chin, leaning forward and hunching over as he began mumbling to himself. "Unless that was actually her way of subtly trying to turn me down… but Joan has never been good with subtleties, and I mean, she even said it wasn't a rejection."

He continued on but Pyrrha was already not listening anymore. "Wait, you mean you really didn't get turned down?" She asked.

"I keep telling you that." In a rare moment of exasperation he snapped at her, interrupting his own tirade.

"Then why have you been so…" Nora spun her hand in the air several times as she tried to look for the word. "Down?"

"You think I'm depressed because Joan rejected me?" Ren pointed at himself and stared at the two of them like they had each grown a second head. Pyrrha was used to seeing him make that expression, but this might be a first that it was directed at her.

"When you put it that way…" She had just assumed Ren being heartbroken was the crux of the issue and Joan was feeling guilty over that. What else were they supposed to think after the way they had left them the other day? The logic was sound when thinking about it from Joan's perspective, but Ren wouldn't have lied to them about it. It just seemed odd that nothing at all had come of that conversation, since something had clearly shaken their leader up enough to begin avoiding them.

Ren sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now that we've cleared that up. Do you have any other ideas what it might be that is troubling Joan?"

Pyrrha grimaced and shook her head, eyes ducking to stare at the floor. "I don't." That conversation with Ren she hadn't been privy to had been the most obvious lead. Rather, it had been the only lead. If it really wasn't that, she had no idea what to think.

"I might be able to help you out with that." All three jumped. Standing at the entrance of their room, leaning on the frame of the now open door, was their leader and current topic of conversation.

"J-Joan." In a rare moment, Pyrrha found herself caught off guard, mouth flapping open and closed. Ren and Nora were equally speechless. Joan smirked at them before letting out a soft giggle and pushing off the wall to enter the room completely.

"Come on, guys. It's usually me always floundering awkwardly and not knowing what to say." She paused at Pyrrha and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to know what to do if you guys end up taking my position like that."

Perhaps only naturally, it was Nora that recovered first. "I'm pretty sure that's our line, oh glorious leader." Their bubbly teammate was quick to go back to grinning. Perhaps just happy to have their leader back and talking to them again. She was always ready to forgive and forget.

Pyrrha might have been too, but she wanted to know what had happened. "Joan… why did you-"

"I'm sorry." Joan's grip on her shoulder tightened and she cut her off. "I… I had to spend some time with my family. With my brother. There was something I had to figure out for myself. Something I didn't realize until someone pointed it out to me."

"Which was?" Ren asked. The relief in his voice was evident. Despite what he said - like Pyrrha and Nora - there was some part of him that must have believed it was his attempted confession that had triggered all this.

Joan smiled again." To answer that-" She made her way over to her bed, ducking under it and pulling out an old suitcase. Flipping the latches, she opened the container and began sifting through the inside. It had been a long time since any of them had seen it. Probably since they had just gotten settled in and were only just getting to know one another. "We're going to need this!" From that old suitcase, Joan pulled out an old, dusty tome.

"What is it?" Nora plopped down on Joan's bed, shaking the whole thing, adjusting herself to sit cross-legged and peer down at the thick book.

"Take a look." Joan sat down next to her but didn't open it. Instead she gestured for the others to join them first. Pyrrha and Ren shared another quick look, both shrugging and making their way to them. They still didn't get it, but maybe it really was better to be happy Joan was talking to them again.

Ren took the opposite side of Nora so Pyrrha climbed onto the bed and leaned against her best friend's back to peek over her shoulder. Only once they were all settled did Joan start talking again. "How much do you all know about my family?"

"Quite a bit now, actually." Ren answered almost immediately.

Joan let out a breath of air that might have been a laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right. That was poor wording." She paused long enough to think of a different phrase. "How much have I ever told you about my family? Not about the swords or their achievements? But about me and my siblings? All the stupid stuff we used to do growing up? All the holidays we celebrated together?"

"Stuff like that…" Pyrrha paused and thought about it.

"Never." Nora beat her to it. Her words weren't wrong, but they were also obscenely blunt.

Joan just laughed. A real, genuine laugh. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Never." She opened the book and revealed a myriad of photos. The first two pages alone were stuff from corner to corner with pictures of every size. And every one of them had Joan or one of her siblings. "I took this from home when I left, because I didn't think I would make friends. I wanted to feel close to them." Joan ran her hand across the pictures fondly, a faraway look in her eye.

"I guess it's a good thing you did now." Pyrrha barely whispered this. Last she heard, the house too was now gone. If this book had been there, it would be nothing more than burnt tatters.

"I'll say." Joan heard her anyways. "I didn't think I would ever need it. We all got along so much better than I thought." Her hand reached forward and laid on top of Ren's. ""But that was wrong too. I… tried to make this life completely separate from my old one."

"And now?" Ren's hand gripped hers back and he reached forward with the other, turning to a random page in the book. One of the pictures stood out amongst the rest. It was of Jaune and Joan, the two twins even more identical in their young age. They both grinned brightly into the camera, holding up identical plush creatures. Behind them was a Christmas tree and the strewn about wrappers of already opened gifts.

"Now, I want to fix that mistake." For the next few hours, she told them about her family and the moments pictured in the book. And for the next few hours, they all listened intently.

In a way, it was the first time they felt like they had met the Joan from before her time at Beacon.

* * *

"That was fun." Yang grinned and stretched, spreading both hands high above her head. She and Autumn sat on the benches inside Beacon's locker rooms. They had both showered and redressed already, having finished their practice spars.

"Speak for yourself." Autumn grossed, sporting a black eye and staring rather heatedly at her chest. This caused Yang's grin to become even brighter and she winked at the younger girl.

"See something you like?" She asked. Autumn's face turned beet red and she quickly averted her eyes, staring at the lockers around them instead. "No need to be embarrassed. Your brother likes them too." She should have pulled out her scroll before saying that. The spit-take Autumn gave would have been priceless on camera.

"If I was a little more used to these gauntlets I would-" The Arc girl was on her feet and glaring, the orange glow on the palm of Blitz Rose pointing right in Yang's direction. The blonde just smirked and pulled at her muffler, making sure it was secure and covering her scar.

"No need to get so defensive." She hopped up too, towering over younger girl. Her grin slipped a little and she let out a long sigh. "It's not like he and I have had much time to do anything real relationship worthy anyways."

Autumn's gauntlet lowered and the expression she made was complicated. Yang dared say she thought maybe it looked like the younger girl felt a little bad for her. Not that she wanted anyone's pity.

"You think it's about time we change that?" Both girls perked up, turning to see Jaune leaning on the entrance to the locker rooms. They then looked at each other and grinned almost simultaneously, an almost evil tint to their eyes.

"Big brother, I'm impressed at your gall." Autumn said first, turning back to him. He tilted his head, clearly not understanding what she meant.

"Now, now Autumn." Yang chided loudly and very clearly sarcastically. "I'm sure your brother didn't mean anything by walking in while his younger sister and girlfriend were changing." She winked at him playfully.

They knew Jaune finally got it when his face matched Autumn's own from a few minutes ago, such a deep scarlet it was comparable to Rouge's hair. "T-that wasn't- but Ruby said- I didn't mean-"

" _Sure_ you didn't." Autumn shook her head, twintails waving. "I mean, we used to bathe together all the time as kids so whatever. But Yang here was just telling me about how much you like her bust. Seriously, I expected better from you."

Yang couldn't take it anymore. She burst out laughing, doubling over and holding her gut. That was all it took for Autumn to lose her composure a second later. Jaune's face contorted, twisting as he tried to understand what was just going, the blush diminishing.

"I am… not sure I am comfortable with the two of you getting along." He decided. "It was far easier on me when you two disliked one another."

"Just wait until we get Ciel back." Autumn managed to say in between gasps for breath, grin bigger than Yang had ever seen. Jaune's own paled at the apparent thought. Yang couldn't wait to meet this Ciel-sister for real. She sounded like a blast.

"Anyways, with that outta the way." Yang nodded to him. "What were you talking about a second ago?" If she didn't know any better, she would say it sounded like he was about to ask her out on a date.

"Let's head down to Vale." Jaune affirmed that notion, gesturing between them. "You and me."

She smirked, placing a hand on her hip and giving a tilt of the head. "I thought you would never ask."

"Right now?" Autumn didn't look as excited about the prospect, but to her credit that didn't appear to be out of malice this time. Just concern. "What if Gluttony's Aura sensor finds you? She can't sense you while you're here, but if you leave, they might find out you're alive."

Her brother waved away the concern, not appearing worried himself. "Like you said, she thinks I'm dead. She has no reason to look for me. It should be fine." He then shrugged and smiled at Yang. "Besides, if I just hide here in fear, we'll never get a proper date before this is all over."

"That's the kind of gung-ho attitude I'm looking for!" Yang jabbed her fists playfully and strut over to him. "Let's do this!" She slung an arm over his shoulder and winked back at Autumn. The younger girl's lips thinned but instead of the usual glare she just rolled her eyes.

"Just go already then." She waved them off, appearing to have given up.

"Shall we then?" Jaune smiled at his sister one last time before gesturing out of the locker rooms.

"You bet." She allowed him to take her along, the two of them stepping into the hallway.

"Oh good. So it appears everything is all set then?" Only for them to stop immediately, the high pitched voice almost making her cringe. Wanda stood just in front of them, the short girl beaming brightly as she looked up.

"Yep." Jaune nodded and gave her a thumbs up. "We're good to go."

"Wait, wait." Yang stopped them, looking between Jaune and the crown of flowers that sat atop the pink-haired girl's head. "What's going on here?"

"Oh." Jaune appeared to only just remember. "I guess I did forget to say. Wanda's coming with us."

God. Dammit. Jaune.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter's Author's Notes:** That photo album thing is kind of something I lifted from my other story, One Day They'll Understand. I thought it fit pretty nicely for the moment.

So I recently started a reboot of my other series, Auburn, and a big reason I did so was because I decided to remove the pairing and romance. Several have asked me if I'm going to do something similar to Spectrum.

I can assure you, I am not.

The way I created the two stories was vastly different. In Auburn, I came up with cool actions and battles and slapped a pairing on because I shipped it. In Spectrum, the pair was a conscious decision because I thought this version of Jaune and Yang would make sense together. The relationship is a representation of Jaune' character growth and development. It was pretty well planned, which my other story regrettably cannot say.

There have been some changes and improvisations to Spectrum along the way. For instance, Reese wasn't even a character when I started writing. I got an omake prompt for a date chapter with Jaune and I just made the girl ambiguous. There was enough response that I then changed it to make her a full omake character. And then I put her into the actual plot because she worked well as a catalyst. I think that turned out alright, all things considered.

The omake is continuing the battle from the last few.

* * *

 **Omake 51**

 _Violet vs Amethyst (Part III)_

* * *

Two more of Amethyst's spirits exploded into purple wisps. The result of Violet's terrible power.

There was only one left now and once that one was destroyed, it would just be the two of them again. Amethyst couldn't risk letting that happen.

Whether by luck or simply having been good placement, the spirit left was the perfect one to accomplish the job she needed done. The young blonde girl transformed, turning instantaneously into a monster of massive size. Violet must not have expected that transformation, because in that same moment, she became visible, sword digging into the flesh of the titan and halting there.

Amethyst didn't waste the opportunity. She pushed off the ground and closed the distance between them in a second. Mortem Caligo arched through the air, leaving Amethyst's shoulder for the first time since the battle began.

It bent out of the way, twisting because of Violet's Semblance. Which Amethyst was already prepared for. Instead of fighting the pull of the misdirection she went with it and spun the scythe in a complete circle so it came back down again.

The Semblance wouldn't trigger a second time, its ability having already protected her from the first pass. Ostrum Tempus was still buried in the ankle of the giant, Violet unable to pull it free in time. She either had to abandon that sword and dodge… or take Amethyst's attack and lose. At least, Amethyst assumed those were her only two options.

Instead, Violet slid the purple sheath of Ostrum Tempus from her waist and spun it around, holding it between herself and the scythe's path.

Clack

The two collided and Mortem Caligo grinded to a hard stop, the shock from the sudden shift in momentum causing Amethyst's arms to lock up. She flinched and grit her teeth past the pain, pulling back and spinning the scythe around to attack from a different angle.

Twirling the sheath like a baton, Violet shifted it and once again blocked the next strike. And in the same motion finally managed to pull her katana free. With a flick of the wrist, Violet attacked with the blade while continuing to guard with the sheath.

While it was true she couldn't use her temporal capabilities with the two pieces of her weapon separate, Violet was equally skilled without that boon. Amethyst had no choice but to activate her Semblance again. The katana phased through her as if she was a ghost and the scythe did the same, dipping past the sheath and through Violet.

Amethyst jumped backwards, already swinging her scythe around for another attack as she did, taking advantage of the longer reach of her weapon. Violet's Semblance bent the scythe to the side, causing it to miss by a hair's breadth.

Then she closed the distance again, katana swinging high and sheath held back defensively. Amethyst planted the pole of her scythe on the ground and used it to vault over the tip of swinging blade. She landed in a crouch behind her sister, Mortem Caligo spinning around her body in a tornado of slashes.

Each individual strike should have been impossible to see, let alone block, but that meant nothing against Violet. Every time the scythe came around, whether it was aimed high or low, the katana or the sheath was there to intercept it.

A series of loud clangs and clacks echoed in half-second intervals, so loud Amethyst could hear them over the thumping bass and screams of her music. Violet's eyes were constantly in motion, easily reading where the blade would strike next and moving with almost minimalistic effort.

Her younger sister's attacks were relentless. One mistake or slip and she would lose. Violet was confident that wouldn't happen, but it was taking all her concentration to ensure that it didn't. In the back of her mind, she knew she was forgetting something but couldn't spare the thought to realize what it was until it was too late.

A shadow loomed over them as Amethyst's remaining summon made its move. Violet couldn't afford to dodge. If she tried to move it might give her sister the opening she needed. Which meant the only thing she could do was trust her Semblance to handle whatever it was the giant undead monster threw at her.

The air above them whistled and contorted, the titan lifting its foot high before stomping down over their heads. Violet felt her Aura dip, Semblance activating and twisting the attack out of the way. The larger the attack, the greater effort her Semblance automatically put into diverting it.

The foot missed both sisters completely, slamming onto the arena they stood on; which Violet realized only a second too late was Amethyst's plan all along. The floating surface couldn't handle the destructive power of the giant summon, the whole thing rupturing and splitting apart upon contact.

Violet felt a brief moment of weightlessness, her feet no longer touching anything but air. Then gravity began its cruel work.


	58. The Way

Beta/creative assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _The Way_

* * *

"You know, when I hear the word "date", I usually picture just two people." Yang was all up for experimentation and breaking social norms and all that jazz, but this wasn't exactly what she had in mind.

"Do not worry, Miss Xiao Long." Wanda said brightly in that annoyingly high-pitched voice of hers. How did someone always sound as chipper as this chick did? "It will be like I am not even there. You shall not notice me at all."

"Yeah…" Somehow, she doubted that. It was kind of hard not to notice a girl padding around without shoes, bright pink hair, a flowery one-piece dress, and a crown of daisies.

"I know this isn't ideal-" Jaune started and flinched when Yang's irritated gaze turned on him. He held up both hands, palms facing outwards, and quickly began trying to spew his defense. "Just hear me out. Wanda can get us to Vale faster than any airship. Which also means…" Rolling his arms for emphasis. "No motion sickness."

"Hmph." Yang grunted, still determined to show her dissatisfaction. Although… she would admit, the idea of him not having barf-breath had a certain amount of appeal. That appeal was only really relevant if they were alone enough for her to notice. "So what's this magic transportation you speak of?"

"Fairies." Of course it was. What else did she expect from a girl who stared off into space like she was crazy. Yang knew she wasn't, but the people walking past them in the halls of Beacon didn't. If even Hunters-in-training thought she had some screws loose, the looks they got in the city were going to be unbearable.

Just great. Yang tugged at her muffler. She didn't need that kind of attention. "So what? They're just gonna like carry us down into Vale? That sounds like it could get a bit breezy."

"Oh goodness no." Wanda laughed like she'd asked something completely crazy. They walked out into Beacon's courtyard and made their way over to the statue in the middle. "We are going to travel by means of The Way."

"...And that is?" Yang rolled her arms to get her to continue. The older girl had given her answer like it somehow made sense. Which it didn't. At least, she didn't think it did.

"Wanda's essentially going to reverse her Semblance." It was Jaune that finally filled in the blanks. The three of them had stopped in front of the statue and Wanda now stood facing it with her eyes closed. "What she normally does is open a pathway for the faeries to cross into Remnant. This time instead she's going to open a path so we can cross into Fae."

"Fae?" Yang was starting to get tired out not knowing what the Hell was going on. Jaune gave her what must have been a sympathetic grin. How long ago was it he had all these exact same questions? Instead of answering them, he gestured forward.

She turned just in time to see something like a door-sized gateway materialize out of thin air. Literally out of thin air. Where the plaque and base of the statue had once been in view, there was now a silvery meadow. As in actual silver. The grass and leaves sparkled like steel. The sky was still a bright blue in comparison to their own which was rapidly shading with oranges and purple.

There was a dirt pathway cutting through the silver glade as far as the eye could see. At least, it might have been dirt. Yang couldn't be too sure. She peeked around the edge of the rift. There was nothing. The doorway was thinner than a piece of paper. Looking at it from behind, she saw the same scene on the other side.

Cautiously, she stuck her hand through. The very air inside was warm and humid, the temperature several degrees higher than outside. Her arm still inside, she peeked around the corner from the outer edge of the gate. In doing so she lost sight of her arm. She could still feel it, but looking at the portal from the side made it look like it had been cut off right at the elbow. "Weird."

"It takes some getting used to." Jaune chuckled and gestured for Wanda to step through first, trailing only a couple steps behind. To the outside world it just looked like they vanished. The only way to see them anymore was that small window Wanda had opened.

With a deep, nervous breath, Yang followed after. It was as easy as just taking any other step. One second she was in Remnant, the next she wasn't. She turned and could see the bricks and gardens of Beacon's grounds.

But all around her otherwise was the strange new realm she had entered. The air inside wasn't just warmer. It smell sweet too, sickeningly so, and so strongly that she could taste it. There was no celestial body in the sky that gave the world its light. It was as if every individual piece of the world itself was just glowing. Glancing down, she realized that even her shadow was gone and nothing else cast one either.

The portal made a soft bubbling noise as it began to contort and shrunk. Yang took a half-step towards it, her chest contracting and pulse quickening as their only connection to Remnant closed and vanished. A brief moment of hesitation was all it took for her to lose any opportunity to skip back through. "We can… we can get back, right?" The only slight quiver in her voice seemed to be amplified and echoed, bouncing off the unnatural trees and vanishing into the forest.

"Of course. Do not fret." Wanda and Jaune stood just a little ahead, neither of them looking the least bit concerned about being in this otherworldly place. Of course, this probably wasn't their first trip. Unlike her who only found out about this a couple seconds ago. She took another shaky breath and brought both hands up to her face, slapping it in an effort to psych herself up. Nothing to worry about here! Jaune could handle this. He couldn't even handle airships but he could handle this. So she could too, piece of cake.

With that resolve, they all started down the dirt path. There was no wind here, no rustle of leaves. It was downright silent. "So uhh… Fae, huh?" She asked, not able to take the absolute quiet. Glowing green creatures like what she saw before flew over their heads and passed between the silver trees. "Do we walk the whole distance from here to Vale… cause that could take a while." It would be like a five hour walk if they were just plain hiking, but that was because you had to skirt around the lake. Not to mention climb down a cliff.

"We should be there in about ten minutes without stops." Ten minutes!? How was that even possible. Yang didn't get a chance to ask before Wanda started her explanation, no doubt having given this speech multiple times in the past. "Space and time work very differently here in Fae." They came to a fork in the road and took the right path. The older girl pointed down the other while it was still in sight.

"For instance, if we took that way and walked another six minutes, we would end up in the middle of a village in Vacuo." Yang quirked an eyebrow. That… there was no way that could be true. "How is it you think we got to Domremy in the time we did? Rue and I were in Anima when we finally decided to leave the other day. That flight alone takes a week."

"That's…" Yang hadn't thought about that. "You guys arrived in a ship, though."

"Yes, but that is because I dropped us off at a village over. I do not dare bring more than a few people at a time into Fae and the group we had was too large. This realm may be convenient for travel, but it is also dangerous." Wanda stopped suddenly. Jaune did the same, not daring to go in front of her, so Yang followed their lead. At first she didn't see why.

In fact, she heard it first. Something emerging from the brush, hoofed feet stomping against the silver meadow. When it finally did wade into sight, Yang's jaw fell open so hard and so fast, she thought it might have dislocated. It was a beautiful white horse with wonderful blue eyes that wandered out from the trees. Only you would be wrong to call it a horse with the spiraling, three-foot horn growing out of its head. "Is that a fucking-"

"Unicorn. Yes." Wanda finished.

"But they're... just a fairy tale. They're not really real." Yang rubbed her eyes but it didn't disappear. In fact, she could see it more clearly than before, the creature having stopped in the middle of the path, glancing this way and that but taking no real notice of the three of them.

"All manner of species exist in Fae. And every once in awhile, they pass into Remnant." Wanda gestured to the unicorn as if to give an example of one that had. "That is how many Fairy Tales are born, from these beings accidentally slipping over. This is also the basis for which "Fairy Tales" got the title. They're tales of the creatures that came from Fae: The land of Faeries."

"Huh." That was all Yang could really. "Ruby would be over the moon." She suddenly had a great idea. Pulling the scroll from her pocket, she started to step forward to get a picture of herself with it.

She didn't get past Wanda before Jaune grabbed her hand, holding her back. Yang quirked an eyebrow and he shook his head. It was only then that Yang noticed how tense and guarded Wanda appeared. Her hand rested on the flute that could transform into a staff, eyes wearily watching every subtle movement the unicorn made.

"They're dangerous." Jaune spoke for the first time since it appeared, only in a whisper. "Most of what I know is what Violet told me. I've only been here a couple times and never got attacked by anything, but the way she talked... you don't want to mess with one of those things."

"No kidding?" Well that was... disappointing. That must have been what Wanda meant by dangerous then. Her shoulders went limp and she slowly slipped the scroll away. She then glanced back up at the faeries still flying above them. "The little green guys that you call over?" They couldn't be so bad, having helped them out in a bind the way they did.

"They're lesser sprites." Wanda glanced to them as well, keeping one cautious eye on the unicorn. "Curious little creatures. I'm able to summon them so easily because they're numerous and inquisitive. They agree to lend their aid as payment for the passage I grant them. But be careful if we meet any other creature. If any should offer you a gift, do not accept it. Nothing in Fae is for free." She was more serious than Yang had ever seen her.

"It can't be that bad. I mean, they're just animals and little green guys, right?" Yang asked as the unicorn finally passed, disappearing back into the forest. Once it was gone they all began moving again.

The older girl shook her head. "As I stated. All manner of species live in Fae. The highest of the order here go by the same title as the realm. The Fae are more intelligent and wise than most of humanity. This is largely in part to the long lives they live. However, they can also be terribly cruel. With any luck, we will not cross paths with them."

"Why are we coming this way if it's so dangerous then?" She would rather just deal with a little bit of Jaune throwing up then anything in here by the sounds of it. It wasn't that she wanted to run from a challenge, but she was out of her element here.

"The odds of us meeting one of The Fae on this path is slim. It is also not likely to be as perilous as I make it out to be. I am just stressing caution in case we should meet one." Wanda looked back and smiled. "If we should meet them, simply allow me to do the talking. Team Flower is owed a great debt by The Fae and they are usually most polite if it is one of us they are addressing."

"A great debt, huh?" That sounded like an interesting story.

"I wasn't there, but I can at least give you the basics." Jaune smiled fondly, blue eyes drifting upwards as he recalled the tale. "So there's supposed to be like three ruling bodies in Fae. You can think of them as three different Queens." Monarchy. Yang hadn't heard about Kings and Queens since Oobleck covered the Great War in history class. "So one of these Queens tried to usurp another in an attempt to upset the balance of Fae. And in order to do so… well, they tried to steal Violet's sword." Even these creatures knew about those swords? Just how powerful was Pride that even whole other planes of existence wanted it? "Long story short, Violet killed that Queen and averted an all out war."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Yang swung her hands back and forth exaggeratedly, lilac eyes wide in disbelief. "Your sister. Your oldest sister. Killed a Queen from another realm?" That sounded absolutely insane. "I mean, just how hard are they to kill anyways?" She imagined it must have been harder than killing another person, if they were such a big deal.

Wanda giggled. "Oh, they're immortal. Normally."

"Immortal!?" Violet Arc killed something immortal. She literally defeated something that couldn't die and killed it anyway. "And we're supposed to beat this sister of yours how?"

"Violet's unbreakable sword may be able to kill the unkillable." Jaune held one of his wrapped hands up and stared at it. "But these glyphs can break the unbreakable. So it's not impossible." She sure hoped so. The more about Violet she learned, the more she didn't like their odds. Instinctively, her hand came up and rubbed the scar under her muffler.

"And here we are." Wanda stopped in the middle of the path. The scenery around them hadn't changed in the slightest. Rather, it was like they were in the exact same spot as they started. If Yang hadn't walked it herself, she wouldn't have believed they had gone anywhere.

"How can you tell?" There weren't any noticeable landmarks to distinct this as the location. None she could tell of anyways. Wanda's answer was to point at one of the nearby trees. Etched into the bark- if it even was bark- was a single capital V. "Okay, next question. How did you know this spot would get you into Vale the first time?"

"We didn't." Well, that answered that. Was it just trial and error then? Or maybe they jumped out in a panic after something had attacked them? Yang would never know because Wanda was already focusing on opening the rift that would get them out of here.

Just like before it was only a small doorway. Yet that little gate took them across time and space itself. It was insane to think about. The three of them walked out and just like that they were standing in a deserted alley of downtown Vale. The hustle and bustle of the pre-evening city blared loudly as it funneled inside, the noise deafening compared to the otherwise silence of Fae where there hadn't even been a breeze to rustle the leaves.

Yang skipped forward and onto the sidewalk of the main street, nearly colliding into several other pedestrians when she did. People glared at her for no longer than a moment before continuing on their way. She didn't pay them any mind and turned to the horizon. The towers of Beacon were just barely visible in the distance, tiny specks from all the way down on the city floor.

"Wow…" They really had travelled all that distance in the span of what only felt like fifteen minutes. It looked even earlier from down here than when she left. Actually, that was just strange now that she really thought about it. The sun should have set by now. Pulling out her scroll, she checked the time to find it couldn't possibly be right. "I think that place screws with technology. My scroll says it's seven thirty."

"No, that's right." Wanda stepped out from the alley, her unique appearance immediately drawing the eyes of many passerbys. A couple even stopped to gaulk for a second before getting shoved by those less than impressed.

"But we left at quarter to eight." She waited for Wanda to explain, but she just smiled at her knowingly. "N-no way… are you saying we travelled back in time?" So when she said space _and_ time passed differently there, she meant it could also go backwards? "Does that mean we're at Beacon right now too? Are you saying there's a you, me, and Jaune all getting ready to make that same trip in the next fifteen minutes?"

"That's what she's saying." Jaune was holding his head, looking to fight off an impending migraine. "I just try not to think about it myself. It's easier that way."

"But that is so _cool_." Yang spun around and gestured broadly back to Beacon. "Time travel, Jaune! Time travel. Do you know the things we could do with that? I could- I could…" Was it possible to go back and find her mom, before she abandoned them?

"Whatever you are thinking about, it is probably best for you to stop." Wanda strolled up and rested a hand on her shoulder, looking up at her almost sadly. "I told you, travel through Fae is dangerous. If you do not enter and exit at very exact points, you could end up somewhere and sometime you never intended. It is impossible to tell where and when you will appear unless you have already made the journey at that exact point."

"But- But you could try…" She trailed off, shoulders deflating and arms falling limply to her side. Wanda was right, of course she was. She knew way more about it than Yang ever could. She only found out about it fifteen minutes ago. Or she was going to learn about it in fifteen minutes. However it was that worked.

"I am sorry." Wanda squeezed the shoulder she was holding before letting go. "The past is in the past. Even if you go there, you cannot change it. I would know. We all made that mistake once."

"We?" It was Jaune that asked, making Yang for once not the only one who had no idea what was going on.

"Team Flower." Wanda clarified. "We once traveled to a time before any of us were even born. The results of our actions in that period would eventually lead Rue's mother to making the mistakes that destroyed her company and Lily's former master on a path that would claim his life. No good comes from meddling with time."

"Hhng." Yang grunted. Was it possible? If she did somehow manage to travel back in time, could it be her fault that her mother left then? But if she didn't go back would that mean that it never happened? A spike of pain jolted through her head and she understood what Jaune meant now.

It was better just not to think about it.

"Violet never told me that." Jaune said so quietly that she almost didn't hear him. The look on his face somehow reminded her of Ruby. Yang couldn't even count the number of things she never told her little sister for fear of it tarnishing her opinion of her. The memory of that night she dragged little Ruby out on that wagon into a Grimm attack still haunted her.

"Even big sisters have their secrets." The melancholy of that moment was almost immediately broken as Wanda grabbed both of them under the elbow and pulled them back. The action just barely prevented another group from crashing into them as they wandered past.

"Perhaps it is time we keep moving, yes?" Wanda nodded to them purposefully. While it was true they were taking up space here, the conversation had also turned rather dour for something that was supposed to be a date. They needed to liven this thing up.

"So where is it we're going for our date anyways?" Yang asked. Jaune was the one who had invited her, but unless he had been doing some research he didn't exactly know of many places in Vale. She hoped he wasn't just planning on letting her decide.

"Oh, right." Jaune nodded and pointed down towards the way they had been twice before. "Same place as our first one."

"Wait, you mean-"

"Yep, we're going to see Hei Xiong. I have a promise to keep with him."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** I seriously expected to get farther than I did this chapter plot wise. Somehow I managed to get three-thousand plus words out of what amounted to a short walk. In hindsight, I should have known better since I was introducing a new element into the story and the idea of Fae required a lot of writing to properly explain in a reasonable manner that could somehow make sense.

This was another chapter that borrowed heavily from The Dresden Files. Many of the little mechanisms for the world of Fae that they talked about were lifted directly from those books. Anyways, I know this chapter probably feels kind of random but some of the things I explained in here are going to be important coming up, so it wasn't without purpose.

Jefardi wants me to write about the mission where Violet killed a Fae Queen and they travelled back in time, which was briefly mentioned in this chapter. I outlined doing such an idea and well, it wouldn't be short. In other words, I'm more likely to attempt my hand at an actual original story and try to get it published before I do that, haha.

* * *

 **Omake 52**

 _Violet vs Amethyst (Part IV)_

* * *

If you touched anything but the arena it was a ring out and instant disqualification. That much was common knowledge for the finals of the Vytal Tournament.

However, this was probably the first time in history someone destroyed that arena in an effort to force a ring out. Violet had to hand it to her younger sister, it was a gutsy strategy… as the same risk applied to her too, the both of them now falling.

Being her sister's idea, of course, she had already calculated for this and the titan that caused the destruction had bent over, cupping her in its hand and winding up. With a quick toss it flung Amethyst high into the air, almost to the force field that separated them from the sky above. It was there she reached the height of her ascension.

Its work completed, the titan vanished, leaving behind only a purple orb that began to hover back to its home. Violet turned her body, placing herself parallel with the floor she fell towards and looking straight up at her sister.

Despite the large space between them, Violet's orange eyes were able to lock with Amethyst's red and she saw the thrill of victory in them.

Violet would admit: Her odds didn't look good. Just because something looked hopeless, didn't mean that it was. She held up her sheath and with practiced grace, slid the katana into it. The act of connecting the two parts of her weapon were immediate, time grounding almost entirely to a halt.

The broken pieces of falling plates all around her appeared to hang suspended in air, even their descent slowed by the sword's capabilities. She didn't waste a second, flipping and landing on one of those broken plates. She drew the sword and with the back of the blade slapped one of the falling metal chunks and sent it spiraling up a dozen feet above her.

Time reverted to normal for not even a full second before her katana was back in its sheath and being drawn again. She repeated this, sending another one of the metal pieces of debris a little higher than the last. Then she did it several more times - time stopping and restarting with every action - creating a path between herself and Amethyst. Once the last plate was in place, she sheathed Ostrum Tempus and let the katana stay.

Then she made her final gamble.

She kicked off the plate she was on and landed on the first one up. Using her Aura she pushed off that one and made it to the next. Then again, quickly climbing higher and higher.

Amethyst's red eyes widened. Her momentum had already begun to bring her downwards and she couldn't possibly summon a spirit in time to change course before Violet reached her. This placed them on a direct collision course with one another.

She grit her teeth, realizing she had no choice. Violet kicked off the last plate and closed the remaining distance between them. The katana phased through her and Violet was next, Amethyst activating her incorporeal-ability.

Their positions now reversed, Amethyst only had a couple seconds to think of a new strategy to place herself once again above her elder sister. She had to summon another spirit, one to push herself higher again. She could remain in the air indefinitely, really. Violet, however, wouldn't be able to repeat that trick of hers again.

With a series of raining cracks, the broken pieces of the arena hit the ground and with them; Violet's chances. Amethyst grinned, scythe glowing purple as she prepared her next spirit. A blue-haired woman appeared from the scythe, one she would use to create an ice platform for her to land on.

Only it never got the chance, the woman exploding into ectoplasmic wisps before Amethyst could command it to do anything. Shit! She realized in that split second she had miscalculated. Violet wasn't the type to hang in the air and and just let her fall.

The second they had passed one another and Violet had already changed course, once again closing the distance and placing them on the same level. Amethyst couldn't summon her spirits to reverse direction. Violet would see to that.

The two of them were going in only one direction: Down.

Both of them fell with their heads pointed towards the floor and feet to the sky, practically neck and neck with one another.

"How do you want this to end, Amethyst?" Violet spoke for the first time since the match had been announced, having to yell over the wind and music to be heard.

Amethyst felt a small chuckle work it's way past her lips, the sound carried away and inaudible. There were only two ways to end this. Either she hid behind her Semblance and let fate decide which one of them hit the ground first. Or she looked Violet head on and attacked with everything she had, abandoning self-defense for one final clash.

"As if you even have to ask, Vi." She slipped her headphones off, placing them around her neck, not an easy task while falling upside down.

Five seconds until they hit the floor.

Violet smiled in approval and they both tensed.

Four seconds.

Amethyst's grip on the scythe tightened and she held the pole out in front of herself, blade poised to cut into Violet's upper shoulder.

Three seconds.

Violet held the sheath out in defensive posture and the katana behind.

Two seconds.

The audience around them collectively sucked in a deep breath, thousands of eyes watching with unblinking anticipation for the end.

One second.

They both swung their weapons.

 _Clang_

 _BZZZZZZT_


	59. Returning the Favor

Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Returning the Favor_

* * *

"I'm going to say it again, but this is not my idea of a date." Maybe this was somehow Yang's fault? She had been the one to call their first trip to Junior's a date, after all. And the whole subsequent battle that followed after too, but that was splitting hairs. Regardless, it might have given her boyfriend a very skewed definition on what he considered to be a proper outing.

"This is going to pay off, I swear. Just bear with me a little while longer." Jaune clapped both hands together and inclined his head, walking backwards as he pleaded with her. It was a miracle he didn't run into anyone while doing so. The only reason he didn't was the other person he brought along walking ahead of him and holding the scruff of his shirt.

"You better hope it does." Yang crossed both arms just below her chest and glowered at him. Just when she had been starting to forgive him for bringing Wanda along too, he pulled this crap. "What do you mean by keeping a promise? When did you ever promise Junior anything?"

"Last time we were there. When we came to salvage pieces from your bike." She thought back to that moment and vaguely remembered him shouting something as they ran away. Not exactly something she would call a promise, but rather something he was just saying to try and keep the peace. Apparently it meant something to him.

"Okay, and you plan to keep this promise of yours how?" Last she checked, Jaune was still flat broke. Heck, she had partially assumed the other reason he had brought Wanda along was so she could help him pay for whatever there were going to do.

"You should see in a minute." Jaune glanced around them and Yang noticed the crowd was noticeably thinning out. A direct result of them entering one of the seedier parts of Vale. Which meant they were almost there. Turning the last corner, they arrived, and the sight wasn't much different than the previous time they had been here.

Nearly every building on this block and past had been destroyed. The rubble stilled lined the streets despite almost a full month having passed, nothing more than orange cones having been set up in a poor attempt to direct foot traffic around the destruction.

Junior's club was in the same state, all the debris and broken slabs of the once decently sized establishment brought down to stand only slightly over their heads. There wasn't anyone in sight, which probably wasn't surprising. Jaune, Yang, and Wanda walked up to the entranceway. The doors were broken splinters and glass shards, but the concrete frame still stood, probably the only thing of the whole place that had.

The hallway in was mostly clear and even looked like it had been sweeped, but a massive hunk of concrete that had once been the ceiling kept them from actually seeing all the way in. Coming from around the corner and further in was the muted gaggle of what had to be more people than just Junior and the twins.

Jaune and Yang shared a quick glance and shrug before heading in, Wanda trailing only just a little behind them. Their pink-haired companion appeared to have no interest in the material world around them and was instead glancing curiously here and there at nothing, bright-green eyes scanning intently for something. Whatever it was, Yang couldn't fathom.

Creeping around the slab, the three entered what had once been the dance floor and had no problem immediately spotting the source of all the noise. The room had been mostly cleaned- if you could call it that- the rubble and destroyed contents sweeped and stacked in piles against the walls. In what had once been the center of the room, sat no less than twenty people in a giant circle around what was essentially a camp fire. A pyre had been built out of what looked like broken crates and a decent-sized orange flame cast shadows eerily over the demolished walls and stones.

"Huh, so some of you guys did survive." Yang hadn't meant to say that out loud. The only reason she even knew she did was because all other talking immediately ceased. The twenty nearly identically dressed men all turned, glaring at them through red shades.

"You kids have got some guts…" From the back of the circle, Junior rose. He looked like a mountain towering over the mooks squatting on makeshift seats, the fire in front of him throwing his shadow against the back wall and making him only look more intimidating. Not that Yang had anything to fear from him or his guys.

"Easy there, I'm not here to fight." Jaune held up both hands, trying to look as placating as possible. The effect was kind of ruined by his trembling legs, which was only more accented by the light casting his own large shadow.

"That's what you said last time too." Junior hefted his bat up and over his shoulder before it transformed into a bazooka. "I'm not making the same mistake twice." He didn't give them another chance, opening fire and launching six missiles.

"Ah man…" Jaune groaned, face dropping into his hands. Yang had no idea what he had expected. She could have told him it was going to go this way before they even arrived. In fact, she had. Oh well, she was looking forward to letting off a little steam anyways. It might not have been the date she wanted, but a little fighting was as good an adrenaline rush as any.

"My, my. This certainly will not do." Of course, she had forgotten one critical fact. Wanda was a Huntress. A graduated and fully trained one. If Junior and his group couldn't beat Yang when at their full strength, they didn't stand a shadow of a chance against her now. Which meant Yang wasn't even going to get to do anything.

The pink-haired girl held out her hand, fingers extended as if reaching for something just out of grasp. Out of thin air, dozens of the little green sprites winked into existence. Only it wasn't out of thin air. Now that Yang kind of knew what to look for, she could see the small portals to Fae opening up and allowing them through.

The creatures buzzed and flew for the rockets. As if to deny physics entirely, they caught the charging missiles and spun them back towards Junior and his goons before simply holding them in place. "Oh come on…" The poor guy could only stand there with his mouth agape while his men screamed and flailed, scurrying to hide behind their boss.

"We mean you no harm." As if to prove her point, Wanda lifted her flute and played a quick tune. Instead of launching the missiles back at their owner, the faeries pointed them skywards and let them go. They rocketed up several hundred feet before exploding. Probably scared the Hell out of some dogs and a passerby or two, but otherwise no harm truly done. "So will you hear us out, or should we take our business elsewhere?"

"I'd rather you take it elsewhere." Junior grumbled under his breath. The only reason they could hear him was because of the otherwise stark quiet that had settled over the room now that his men quivered behind his back, the only two that hadn't retreated being the twins. The big man then let out a long, drawn out sigh. "But what else choice do I have… What have you came to take from me this time? In case you didn't notice, I've got nothing left." He gestured to a couple stray crates and forked a thumb behind him. "Just a couple boxes of booze. That and these morons who I can't even pay a wage anymore."

Yang had never seen him like this. Even after she'd beaten him senseless, the dude still had fight in him. Now he was like a wounded dog, ready for them to just go ahead and put him out of his misery. For the first time, she realized just how much this place had meant to him. Junior may have been a sleazeball that sold people information and contracted out thugs for hire, but he had loved this place. This club had been his pride and joy.

Now it was gone and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to get back at the ones responsible.

Those mooks had been his family. Men he had lost and would never get back. The ones that were left were just the lucky ones who had either dodged death by a hair's breadth or happened to be off that day. Yet they all came back, despite the fact that Junior could offer them nothing but a measly fire and some alcohol. Even the uniforms which had once been immaculate were tattered and worn, now that she looked more closely.

She saw what it was Jaune had seen the last time they were here. Jaune saw a man who had lost his home and family, not so different from himself. Junior had stuck up for them both, despite that Yang had never given him a reason to. This was what he got for that. The scar on her throat ached, the dull pain a reminder of what it meant to lose something to those swords. Although her loss was minuscule in the face of Junior's. And of Jaune's.

"Let me repay you." Jaune stepped forward, holding both hands out as if pleading. "I can't give you the lives of your men back, like how you helped me save one of my sisters. However, I might be able to do the next best thing."

Junior scoffed. "How?"

He asked the same question Yang wanted the answer to. Every single person- with the exception of Wanda- turned to look at him and waited for his answer.

Jaune's response was to give that awkwardly cute, yet somehow at the same time reassuring smile that only he could do and gestured back the way they had came. "Step outside with me and I'll see what I can do."

It wasn't like they all had much choice. With Wanda here, Junior and his underlings could only do as Jaune asked and after several minutes they were all gathered in the middle of the street, looking back at the remnants of the building they had just been in. The fire had been put out and the last wisps of smoke rose over the rubble and into the night sky.

"...There's no problems with this spot, right?" Jaune turned to Wanda, the two of them standing a little ways ahead of the rest and directly in front of the entrance. Whatever he was going to do, it looked like he also needed her for this too. Which meant he hadn't just brought her along for the shortcut after all.

Wanda's toes curled and she bounced on the balls of her feet, swaying back and forth. "The connection here to Fae is rather weak… probably a result of the evil stench that lingers over this side of the city." Jaune's shoulders deflated. "However," She quickly continued, pointing a single finger up. "It should not be impossible. What matters is if the flow of time is compatible from that end to this one."

"What are they talking about?" Junior asked, stepping up to Yang and bending down low enough to whisper.

"Beats me." Yang could only shrug when Jaune nodded, apparently somehow having understood whatever the Hell it was Wanda had just said. "He won't tell me anything about what it is he's trying to do." She watched him for another several seconds with a deep frown before glancing up at Junior. Just looking at him made her scar itch again. "Hey…" She called, averting her eyes to look at the ground. "Sorry about last time. I shouldn't have said what I did about your guys. Or your club."

"Hhng." Junior grunt noncommittally. "You wouldn't be you if you hadn't. It was uncalled for, but that's just the way you are. I've already gotten used to it." Without even looking back up, she could tell her was eyeing her strangely, in particular the part of her that had most noticeably changed. "Your new haircut got anything to do with that out of character apology?"

"Something like that." Yang pulled at a couple of the strands hanging just over her shoulders. "Just be glad his oldest sisters didn't show up here. You would've lost more than just your club."

"I might as well have." Junior turned back to Jaune, the skepticism apparent. He wasn't expecting anything from this. He was just going along with it because he didn't have any other option. It didn't hurt to let Jaune try, but he didn't dare hope.

Yang also looked at her boyfriend just as he finished taking off the wraps on his hands, exposing the scars. Even from a distance, their mutilated form stood out and several of the underlings sucked in a breath and one even outright gagged. If Jaune heard them, he did a good job not reacting. Yang didn't have such self control and glared at them viciously.

Jaune took in a long deep, breath, drawing her attention back to him. He had hunched over in a crouch and Wanda stood directly behind him, placing the palms of both hands on the middle of his back and pressing down. All at once, he slapped both palms on the ground.

What happened next, she had heard him describe before, but it was far more disturbing than her mind had ever been capable of picturing. Black veins coursed and wiggled beneath his skin, so dark it made even the night sky look bright by comparison. The wiggling mass of tendrils travelled down his arm and exited out the scars on his hands, pooling in a dark puddle beneath his feet.

The pool of the black ink-like substance spread rapidly, covering the whole boundary of the club in only a matter of moments. Most of the circle was impossible to see, obstructed by the rest of the building. Yang knew it must have had some intricate design, formed from Jaune's mind and coming to life.

While he created the circle of alchemy, Wanda's own hands began to glow bright green in color. That glow radiated off Jaune's back and the tendrils leapt up into the air, like a hungry dog lapping for water and leaching that energy.

Everyone watched silently, waiting for something else to happen. Several seconds went by and there was nothing. Then minutes passed and still nothing. At least, Yang thought it was nothing.

"Look!" It was Melanie that saw it first, pointing to the right side of the building. Everyone followed her finger, and that was when she finally saw it. Movement, albeit slight. Little at a time, pieces of rock would shift and move as if they were going to fall. The hallway, the only part of the interior they could see, became cluttered with dirt and debris. It was like all the work Junior and his men had put into getting the place even remotely cleaned up was being undone.

Then it happened.

The movement that had been innocuous and miniscule before became sudden and drastic. The very roof of the building rose, defying gravity itself. The walls and door flew back to position, the cracks and splinters melding together before their very eyes. Then all at once, it was like they had never been broken at all.

And then it was over. The pitch black circle receded, returning to Jaune's hands and disappearing. The green glow from Wanda's palms likewise vanished. The two of them were left gasping for breath, sweat dotting both their foreheads and dribbling down their chins.

"...What the Hell?" Yang jogged up to them, leaving Junior and the others behind. Just as she got up to Jaune, he began to collapse forward. Her arm shot out and grabbed him before he could hit the dirty concrete. "Hey! You okay?" His body was heavy, legs barely supporting him at all.

Weakly, he held up the arm she wasn't using to support him and gave a shaking thumbs up. "It… worked." He gasped breathlessly, blue eyes squinting through the sweat to look up at the perfectly restored building.

"What worked? What exactly did you just do?" Yang helped him up and together they hobbled towards the entrance. The doors swung open, good as new. The entranceway was perfectly intact and beaming from the second set of doorways was flashing lights. Wordlessly, they went through that set too.

The sight inside almost caused her to drop him then and there. The inside of the building hadn't just been restored. It had been downright recreated right to the last moment before the battle had broken out. The tables were all realigned, multi-colored lights flashed in beat to the rhythm of a song that wasn't currently playing. Hell, even the half-eaten food and unfinished drinks of the patrons from that night were there.

"This is…" Yang had no words.

"It was just a theory in Noir Arc's book." Wanda leaned on the wall behind them, her chest still heaving. "The concept to return something to its previous state by turning back the clock. She never was able to complete such a complicated transmutation. From her notes, we gathered that it was when studying time-altercation she created Violet's katana."

"It will never bring someone back to life." Jaune's blue eyes traveled over the empty room. Not a single person from that night was here, their bodies already gone. "I wasn't even sure it would be capable of doing this much. Like Wanda said, it was only a theory and Noir had never actually pulled it off."

"Then how did you?" Yang didn't mean for him to misunderstand. She was damned impressed right now. However, she just didn't see how he could possibly do something with a Semblance that he had known about for a week after his predecessor failed to do it with a Semblance she had all her life.

"Noir Arc never had something to offer in exchange." Wanda clarified, extending her hand a letting a sprite float into the world. "We gave the past month from here to Fae and in return we took a similar amount of time from Fae to place it here. Since this particular spot in Fae moves so much slower, a month of our time was only several minutes in their time."

"Got'cha. I think." Yang really didn't know if that made sense or not. She liked the straightforwardness of her own Semblance way more than all this complicated mumbo jumbo. "So you can do this everywhere? To the whole city?"

"No." Wanda and Jaune answered together, their voices firm despite the still obvious exhaustion. They shared a quick glance and he nodded for her to explain.

"We do not…" Wanda started and paused, appearing to consider how to word it. "We simply do not understand enough about the way time flows in Fae in comparison to Remnant. We made a rather sufficient wager taking time from another dimension and placing it here already. It would not have worked at all if Jaune had not transmuted it to make it compatible with our world and if the difference in flows of time had not been perfect. Recreating this exact effect every time, it simply is not possible."

"Also," Jaune flexed his hands, looking down at them in concern. "My fingers are tingling and pretty numb. It might just be a temporary effect, but I'm not sure what the results of constantly performing temporal alchemy is going to have to my body." The grip Yang had on him tightened. She thought about berating him for doing something so reckless and stupid. She also knew she wasn't one to talk. Besides, it was pretty obvious already why he did it.

"Why?" Although it apparently wasn't to Junior. The giant of a man walked into the room, spinning around slowly and eyes taking in every single detail like it might disappear at any given second. His men stumbled in after him, marching cautiously as if they expected the floor itself to leap up and eat them. All of them were speechless.

The underlings spread out, some of them mingling behind the bar to check their wares. One of them went up to the music mixer, finding a giant bear head and picking it up. Melanie and Miltia picked at bits of uneaten food on one of the tables.

Junior stopped next to them, falling to his knees and staring blankly up at the ceiling. His eyes blinked rapidly, trying to fight back the tears and losing the battle more quickly every second. "Why?" He asked again, voice cracking. "If you could only do this once, why waste it on scum like me?"

Jaune smiled faintly. On his knees, Junior was just under the height of Jaune's shoulders, making it easy for the blond to reach over and rest a hand on the large man's back. "I made you a promise. And Arc's always keep their promises." He looked around at all of Junior's remaining underlings. "I don't know what kind of stuff you did before. Maybe you really aren't a stand-up guy and have made bad choices that hurt people. I can't say. The only thing I know is, when my back was against a wall and I needed to save my sisters, you and your men fought by my side, many of them to their deaths. That makes all of you okay in my book."

The tears rolled freely down Junior's cheeks now and wetted his beard. A short gasp escaped his lips that might have been meant to be some kind of words, but it didn't look like he was going to be capable of any further speech.

"Also," Jaune scratched his cheek awkwardly and hiked a thumb at Yang. "I kind of promised to take her on a date. Thing is, I'm also kind of strapped for cash at the moment. So it would be really cool if we could have some dinner and drinks, maybe let us hit the dance floor? I'll pay you back. Promise."

Junior blinked incredulously. Wide, tear-stained eyes turning to Jaune as if he had just grown a second head. The image itself was so funny Yang almost laughed and really might have if they hadn't been having a touching moment just a second before. After all the noble stuff he just got done spouting and he ended it with that.

It was something so like the awkward dork she had started to date she couldn't even be surprised. It was what she was really starting to love about him too.

"You…" Junior rose to his feet, towering over the two blondes and turning to face them. "...want me to just let you eat, drink, and dance for free tonight?"

Jaune gulped. "Umm… if it isn't too much trouble? And not free forever. I'll pay you back, remember? Arc's always keep their promises." His knees starting shaking, but Yang was going to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe they were still weak from his earlier stunt.

The huge man took a lumbering step towards them and even Yang felt her body go rigid. She knew she could take Junior in a fight but if he got them both in a powerful grapple, she had her doubts about being able to get out of it. There was no time for either of them to move as Junior did just that, wrapping them in his strong muscular arms. Panicked eyes looked to Wanda for help but the pink-haired girl merely giggled and waved at them from the safety of the wall.

"Kid…" Junior growled, his grip on them tightening. Just as Yang's own muscles started to tense in preparation to try and wrestle herself free, the owner swung them around and loosened his grip. His voice called loud enough for every single person in the club to hear. "You can come here for free the rest of your life, you hear me?" A huge grin unlike she had ever seen on his face split it from ear to ear.

He shoved the two of them towards the bar. "Melanie, get them something to drink. A Strawberry Sunrise and an Old Fashioned, if I remember. Militia, you take some guys and start cleaning up." He pointed to another couple. "You guys get back to the kitchen and whip up some food." Then he gestured to the one holding the bear mask. "Start up some music, play it loud as you can. And everyone else-" He looked to the last group of men.

Everyone froze, staring at Junior and waiting for his final instructions. There was a certain energy to them all now, their whole bodies practically vibrating with unbridled excitement, no doubt fueled by their bosses powerful return. "Get out on the streets and spread the word." He hiked a thumb over his shoulder and towards the front door.

"We are officially open for business!"

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **Post Chapter Author's Notes:** and then his sisters attacked and destroyed the club again.

I joke, I joke... or _do_ I?

This omake is final one of the Violet vs Amethyst fight. Personally, I'm not a fan of the way this multi-parter turned out. I think it worked well in the battle against the White Fang and Roman because there were so many characters involved and in Truth or Dare because the split worked as part of the gag. Heck, it even worked with Cinder vs Rouge because that was only two parts. I think five for a single battle just didn't fit well, in this format anyways. Lesson learned.

* * *

 **Omake 53**

 _Violet vs Amethyst (Part V)_

* * *

"And the winner of the 36th Vytal Festival is…"

"Violet Arc!" Peter Port's massive voice boomed.

Even with the aid of the microphone that led to thousands of speakers, you would be hard pressed to hear his voice over the sound of the crowd. The entire audience was on their feet, applause and cheers so powerful the two sisters could feel the weight of it bear down on them.

Ordinarily it might not have been a bother. They weren't exactly in prime condition after that final bout, however. Both of their Aura bars blinked emptily, the two of them having given it all up just to survive the head-first impact to the solid steel floor of the arena beneath them.

Violet had managed to stand on her feet, holding a single arm triumphantly above her head and rotating slowly to address every side of the crowd. Amethyst sat on the ground, one leg stretched out and the other knee pulled up to her chest, hands resting on it.

She ran that final clash through her mind again and again. She had expected Violet to attempt to intercept Mortem Caligo with her sheath and attack with the katana. That was the strategy any normal person would come up with. Of course, Violet was anything but normal.

She had done the opposite, blocking with the katana and pumping all the remaining energy into the sheath. Amethyst hadn't been able to react, taking a blunt jab from the sheath right to the gut. Much in the same way that Crocea Mors was both shield and sword, Ostrum Tempus was both katana and sheath.

Which meant the sheath ignored Amethyst's Aura altogether and dealt damage directly to her. So despite being a blunt strike, it was the decisive blow Violet had needed. They hit the floor at the exact same moment not even a second later, but the fight had already been decided.

A single outstretched hand occupied Amethyst's vision and took her from her thoughts. She glanced up to find Violet hunched over, smiling down at her. In her eyes was an emotion Amethyst never expected to have directed at her; respect. Violet was overwhelmingly proud of her… of their battle just now. Not because she won, but because it had been the type of match she wanted. "You did well."

Amethyst blinked several times, trying to fight back the tears that started to blur her vision. She thought that they might have been tears of regret, disappointed in herself that she lost. Instead, she found they were of happiness. Violet was acknowledging her… and all her efforts. She saw her as an equal, someone who deserved to stand by her side.

With a soft clap, she gripped Violet's outstretched hand and allowed herself to be hoisted to her feet. The two of them faced the crowd together and Violet once again held her hand in the air, bringing Amethyst's up with it.

They stood there together, fingers interlocking and grins splitting their faces as the crowd cheered not just for one of them, but both.


	60. Calm Before the Storm

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Calm Before the Storm_

* * *

Wanda felt a small smile tug at her lips, enjoying the subtle fragrance coming from the short glass of red wine she had ordered.

Clubs and bars had never really been her thing, so she didn't go out to them very often. Rather, it would be more accurate to say she was never allowed into them. As it turns out, they all took the no shoes/no socks, no service motto very seriously. In the four years she had spent here in Vale while attending Beacon, Wanda could count on one hand the number of places she _hadn't_ been kicked out of because she refused to wear anything on her feet.

Even so, despite being in an unfamiliar element she found she rather enjoyed this. Having taken in enough of the scent, she took a soft sip of the wine and then placed the glass on the wood of the bar behind her. The whole room shook in intermittent beats, the red liquid inside rippling and glass vibrating.

The music causing this was unlike anything Wanda had ever heard, made from no instruments she could possibly imagine. The heavy bass shook her right whole body to the core and the electronic cacophony lacked any rhythm she was capable of making sense of. She liked it.

Her bare foot tapped to a beat entirely of her own against the leg of the bar stool, toes occasionally curling around the wood. Bright green eyes scanned the now hopping scene of the recently opened club.

In only a matter of a couple hours and the club was nearly to maximum capacity, all kinds of different folks rushing in to see the miraculously restored business. The longer the night went on, the crazier the rumors became about how it was possible. Of course, the truth was stranger than any fiction they could create.

Not a single person believed her when she told them that she and Jaune used the power of transmutation and the time-flow of another dimension to revert the club's time to before it was destroyed. Most of them laughed along drunkenly, thinking she was telling them some kind of elaborate joke. That or they just assumed she was high. It had been no less than a dozen times already that some young kid had asked Wanda for a hit, assuming because of her bare feet and crown of daisies that she was the owner of narcotics or other such paraphernalia.

It wasn't really much of a nuisance. There was the potential for it to get rather annoying but if anyone dared bother her for more than a couple seconds and either the employees or the owner himself was on them so quick she didn't even have to raise a hand. Apparently this place had meant a great deal to the man known as Hei Xiong. So much, that he had extended Wanda under the same protection and courtesy he was offering little Jaune and Yang.

Thinking about the two caused Wanda to smile again and she glanced across the dance floor to find them. It wasn't hard, the two of them quite literally the life of the party, their bodies swinging in what looked like rehearsed steps.

Sweat glistened off their skin but neither seemed to mind. Yang had long since ditched her jacket and muffler, the two objects sitting on a stool next to Wanda. The scar on her throat was exposed but she for the first time since Wand had met her didn't seem to care one bit. The only eyes on her that mattered were Jaune's.

The crowd let out a loud cheer, Jaune lifting Yang's hand high, spinning her in a circle and dipping her body back. Wanda couldn't hear it, but Yang's mouth was wide open in a merry laugh. When he lifted her back up, she pressed up against him, capturing his lips in hers in the most public display of affection Wanda had ever bore witness too.

Something about it made her feel warm inside. She didn't think she had ever seen Jaune so happy. Of course, her encounters with him had been rather limited considering the amount of years she had known Violet. Lily had spent more time with the Arc family than either her or Rue.

The few times she had seen him, however, he had always been rather awkward and shy. More often than not he was nearby his twin, the two nigh inseparable. And she didn't think she had ever seen him smile. Not like this, at least.

When Yang and he separated, the huge grin that went from cheek to cheek seemed to shine even brighter than all the strobing multi-colored lights that dotted the room in timed intervals. The two resumed their dance, hand in hand. Like how Yang wasn't bothered by her scar, Jaune didn't let the mutilated pattern on his hands deter him either.

Hei Xiong made sure neither of them had a reason to worry about the old wounds. If he thought someone was so much as looking at either of them wrong and that was a one-way ticket out to the curb. Word about that had evidently spread pretty quickly. Despite what happened here last time the club was open, people were eager to stick around.

So Jaune and Yang were able to dance and have a great time while paying no mind to those around them. Some of that could have also been thanks to the alcohol. It was hard to tell from here, but she imagined both their cheeks were turning red and eyes starting to glaze. The numerous glasses they already drank had been swept away, but they both still had unfinished liqueur next to Wanda's own glass.

Her attention now back to the wine, Wanda lifted it back up and took another deep sniff. "Do you dislike it?" Hei Xiong stalked up on the other side of the bar, leaning over the side and placing his massive arms on the wooden top.

"Oh no, not at all." Wanda shook her head and as if to prove her point took another sip. "It has a most wonderful aroma, is all. I simply wish to savor it." That and she didn't want to risk dulling her senses too much. It was still possible, even if the chances were remote, that Gluttony could find out Jaune was alive. She needed to be able to react quickly if such a thing were to happen. "Thank you for the concern, Mister Xiong."

"Just call me Junior. And I'm glad. That's top shelf stuff right there…" Junior's smile cracked and he had to shake his head as if banishing some more morbid thought. "I remember holding a piece of it when digging through the rubble. There were only a couple drops left, clinging to one of the broken shards. Now it's back, like nothing ever happened."

"In a sense, nothing ever did." Wanda's voice strained, having to yell constantly just to be heard. "This very spot in the world is now a month behind the rest of it. It is not something we humans can perceive, but there is a slight disconnect now."

"I don't get any of what that means, but I can tell you this." Junior's expression sobered and his eyes appeared to be seeing something else when he looked over the lively scene. "My men died here. I can still remember that. It happened."

"You are correct. I apologize." Wanda took another sip of the wine, if only to keep her from spouting something else equally insensitive.

"You weren't there. Can't expect you to know." His tone didn't quite lose the edge it had, but he didn't press the point either. Instead, with a nod of his head he indicated towards the two dancing blondes. "Can I ask you something?"

Wanda tilted her head, blinking several times in confusion. "I believe you just did."

"That's-" Junior's mouth opened and then snapped closed. His fingers idly drummed on the bar top several times before he seemed to reorient himself. "Okay, nevermind. I'll just ask it then. Was there a time limit that you had before this wouldn't have been possible anymore?" He gestured around at the club, although his intent by the question alone was clear.

"Hmm," Wanda's nose crinkled as she considered the answer. "Theoretically there was, yes. However, little Jaune nor I had no way of knowing if that time would have expired now or if it would have been several months from now. We did not have to do it tonight, if that was what you are asking."

"Then _why_ do it tonight?" Junior leaned closer. They still had to shout to one another to be heard but it at least gave the impression that their conversation was meant to be private. The music was so loud you would have to be right next to them to hear anyways. "That kid has still got three sisters left to save from what I hear. Why go out of his way to take care of some promise he made to a stranger now while he's still got them to worry about?" He then quickly added. "Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful. It just seems odd, right?"

"You certainly are well informed." She had heard that this Hei Xiong was an infamous information broker and as such had reservations about lending her talents to Jaune to assist with restoring his business. Her leader's brother had been adamant about it, however, and so she had gone along with it in the end.

However, Junior was right too. It didn't have to be tonight. In fact, this was definitely something that could have waited until after everything was over. He didn't need to come out and take the risk. He didn't need to expose himself. He most definitely did not need to bring Yang along to turn this into a date after they had accomplished it.

"I believe he is just tying up loose ends before our next battle. Many of us believe it will be the final one." Either they would destroy the remaining three swords or the Arc family line would be wiped out forever.

"That's all well and good." Junior nodded several times and then pointed once more at Jaune, who was still dancing and having the time of his life. "But I've seen his resolve. That kid has no intention of dying a single moment before his sisters are all safe." He paused, long enough to let those words sink in and have an effect. "So then you tell me, if he doesn't plan to die before, but he's got to tie loose ends up now... what does he know that he's not telling the rest of you?"

Just like that, after only so much as one interaction and a little bit of time and Junior had found the most important question worth asking.

It also just so happened that it was a question Wanda didn't like the answer to.

* * *

"Ugh… my head is killing me." Yang couldn't remember the last time she had drank so much. Or the last time she had such a great time the night before. Or felt so damn good.

It might have started off pretty rocky and she would admit, Jaune had her worried there for a while, but that had actually been a pretty spectacular date. Travel through time and other dimensions notwithstanding, it had certainly been the most fun she had in a while. Once the dancing and drinking had started, she never wanted it to end. Too bad it eventually had to and when the morning sun had hit her eyes through the window of Junior's guest bedroom he had set upstairs, well all the drinking came back to haunt her. And that was putting it lightly.

How did Qrow put up with this? She had a sneaking suspicion the answer was by never letting himself get sober.

She glanced out the window of the airship taking them back to Beacon, looking down at the bay that separated the school from the city. It was a beautiful day out too and had she not been so hungover, would've taken absolute joy in the scenery.

The blue water reflected the sunlight magnificently and looked to be inviting. Idly, she found herself wondering how Jaune looked in swim trunks. Although, she didn't exactly have to imagine it. They'd seen everything of one another but it had been dark and she'd been kind of (very) drunk. Speaking of swimming, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been able to wear her bikini. Might not be a bad idea to shop for a new one. That would be their next date, she resolved.

"How is your motion sickness?" Wanda inquired, her high-pitched voice sounding even more grating than usual and causing Yang to actually flinch every time she spoke.

"Well, I'm not throwing up," Jaune said, but he looked to be just shy of it. "I really rather we had taken The Way in order to get back, however." Apparently alcohol, aircrafts, and Arcs made for a very piss-poor combination. Who knew? Even with Wanda's miraculous healing abilities, she was only just staving off an impending mess.

"I told you, we may or may not have majorly upset someone in the realm by taking a portion of their time and switching it with our own. Until I understand the gravity of our actions, it is best we avoid traveling across Fae unless absolutely necessary." Wanda had mentioned before that everything from Fae had a price, but Yang really didn't have enough context to understand what exactly that meant.

Probably for the best. All that stuff was way too confusing when her head wasn't trying to tear itself into little shreds. So she most definitely wasn't going to worry about it right now.

Just when it looked like disaster could be avoided no longer and the ship began to dock, giving one more violent lurch. That was the final straw for her poor boyfriend and he took off for the door before it even opened.

Wanda and Yang followed after, losing sight of him as he disappeared between the crowd of those boarding and exiting the craft. "I shall see you later, Miss Xiao Long." Wanda said, looking to head back towards the tower ahead of them. "I apologize if my presence was a distraction last night."

Yang extended a closed fist to her and shrugged with a bright smile. "Eh, as far as Chaperones go, you were pretty cool. Thanks for the interesting trip." Wanda looked at her fist in confusion for a couple seconds before appearing to understand what she was waiting for. Rapping her knuckles against the blonde's, she then turned and departed.

"Huh, wonder what she's in a rush for." Yang couldn't say for sure, but she kind of got that impression. Again, if her head didn't hurt so much she might have actually cared enough to think more on it.

As it was, she decided to look for Jaune instead. Not that it was hard to find him. Predictably, he was face first inside the nearest trash receptacle. The same one he puked in every time he'd landed when coming back. She kind of felt bad for the janitor that had to change out the bags.

What's more, his little sister Rouge was right by, hovering over him and soothingly rubbing his back. Just when Yang noticed, her balance rocked as something small and quick tackled into her, rose petals dashing across her vision.

"You're back! How was your date?" Yang's own little sister grinned up at her gleefully, having wrapped her in a tight hug. It was infectious, like most of what her sister did, the blonde grinning back and popping an arm free from the tight hold to rustle her hair.

"You know what? Not bad." Lilac eyes turned to look back at her boyfriend who was just now pulling his head from the depths of the container. "Started out a little rough, but he actually knows how to have a good time. I was kind of surprised."

"Gee," Weiss' heels clicked loudly as she followed not far behind her partner. "I almost wonder why you decided to go out with him, with standards like that."

Blake, who was walking just next to her, held up a hand to stifle a giggle and rolled her eyes. "Believe me, that's high praise coming from Yang. Jaune must have blown her off her feet to get that kind of recognition."

"Really? Really?" Ruby was practically bouncing with excitement. The movement was just enough to cause her headache to flare back up. She really wished she had some sunglasses right now to hide the fact, because she was also pretty sure she saw Blake giving her a knowing smirk.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" She did her best to repress it, if only so she could keep up the increasingly fake grin she was wearing. "So what brings you all here? Just coming to welcome us back?" Ruby had been calling her all night and while Yang felt a little bad about it, she ignored every single call until this morning when she knew what time they would be back.

"Your dork of a sister couldn't wait to ask how it went." Weiss pointed to their leader first and then over at Jaune's. "Nor could his. Honestly, I think they're only so invested in this because they might become related someday."

"I-I-I never said anything about that!" Ruby flushed, her stutter immediately giving herself away.

"You kids are getting way too ahead of yourselves." Yang jostled her hair a little harder, this time putting enough strength in it to finally force her sister off her. "Let's all work on saving his last three sisters first. We can have a more serious future talk after that." She looked to Jaune as she said this. He and Rouge were walking over now and it looked like they were having a very similar conversation.

Jaune caught her looking out of the corner of her eye and turned to smile. "I feel way better now." Apparently throwing up was enough to take care of his hangover, because it certainly didn't look like he seemed to be feeling it much anymore. She was actually kind of jealous, although she didn't exactly enjoy the idea of having to puke. It would be easier to just put up with the headache for another couple hours.

Of course, it would be longer than that if her little sister had her way. "So what do you guys wanna do now that you're back?" Ruby asked.

"I think the first thing I'm going to do is find a bench to lay on and sunbathe a little." The sun felt awesome and she wouldn't mind just basking in it for a while. She needed those sunglasses first.

Last night had been one of the best times she ever had, so now today it was all about getting a little rest.

Only just after saying that did a cloud pass overhead and cast them all into shade. "Damn, did it just get chilly?" Yang grabbed her arms and shivered. The sun was warm, but she didn't think it would make that dramatic a change in temperature.

"Uhh… Yang?" Blake tugged at the sleeve of her jacket and pointed. Everyone else was looking out over the bay, eyes and mouths agape in horror.

"What?" She needn't have bothered asking, and could have just saved them all the time by turning around in the first place. "...Oh. That's what." It hadn't been a cloud that blocked out the sun at all. It was a giant wall of ice.

The whole bay had turned into a solid sheet and then began to rise, taking the shape of some creature out of nightmares. It had curved horns on a distinctly humanoid head, giving it the appearance of a demon. The arms were long and lanky, looking like they could reach the edge of the premise - and more disconcerting, where they were currently standing - with relative ease, despite the body of the ice-monster being located dead in the center of what had once been the bay. Now it was all dried up, all the water being used to create it.

"I uhh… take it this means your sisters are here, huh?" Yang wasn't sure which of them asked that, so preoccupied with the giant creature/devil/thing in front of them. Although it definitely sounded like something her sister would be the one to say.

"I think that is a safe assumption, yeah." Jaune's hands clenched into tight fists and face settled into a determined scowl. "Any word from Atlas?"

Weiss shook her head. "They were expected to be here this afternoon." It was a little too late for that. None of their reinforcements had arrived and the battle was about to begin.

Whether they were ready for it or not.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Poor Yang now has to fight the big battle hungover.

This is the second time I've kicked off the battle with a giant ice creature. This one was based on the top form of that Grimm from the finale of Volume 4. I hadn't really decided what I was going to use, but knew this was how I wanted to kick-start this round, and that Grimm seemed as good a shape to use as any. I did debate about coming up with a different way to do it, but decided that this way really just kind of carries the most impact and really, you know it can't be anything else but his sisters. At least the one of them.

Originally I was going to introduce the reinforcements from Atlas before the battle began, but I felt like this peace had kind of dragged on long enough and this way adds a little more tension. So we'll get there.

The omake is a Ciel centric one from the eyes of Allegretta.

* * *

 **Omake 54**

 _Expectations_

* * *

Finally, classes for the day were over. Allegretta Cross smiled brightly, already thinking about what she was going to do with the rest of her day.

Or whether, what she was not going to do for the rest of her day. It was Friday and she was beat. The second year had only just started but the difference between what last year was like in comparison to how this one would be was made abundantly clear in the first week alone.

All she wanted to do now was go back to the dorm and collapse into her bed. Fortunately, Amy was pretty lackadaisical when it came training and stuff, more or less allowing them to figure it out as they pleased. So it wasn't like their team had any strenuous training plans in the works.

So there was nothing to keep her from kicking back and taking it easy. At least, there was supposed to be nothing.

Curiosity got the better of Allegretta however, and even though she knew she would probably be kicking herself for it later, she stopped upon catching sight of a familiar mop of wavy blue hair. Amethyst's younger sister, Ciel, was leaning against the wall, absently gazing at the ceiling with both hands behind her back and she was… humming.

This couldn't be good.

Or depending on your perspective, it could be really good.

Only seconds after noticing her did Allegretta hear the terrified shrieks coming from down the hall. At first she thought it might have been another first year girl, the shriek was so high in pitch. What she saw instead was the unusual - and kind of hysterical - form of the burly Professor Port flailing both hands over his head while he outright fled down the hall so fast he made Oobleck with a fresh cup look like a slacker.

The Grimm studies teacher whizzed by, sending Allegretta's grey hair and skirt billowing several seconds after when the wind could finally be bothered to catch up, his shrieks creating a doppler effect. Then there was silence as he vanished down the hall and turned a corner. Well, not complete silence anyways.

There was still Ciel's stifled laughter. The gossip of equally astounded students. Oh. And this small whirring noise, the gears on something by her feet rotating as it passed by. She looked down and for a second wasn't even sure what it was she was looking at.

Finally she recognized it as a little, white, wind-up mouse toy. It chugged along at a dull pace, seemingly chasing after the fleeing Professor. She followed it for a while, impressed by both its ability to navigate around other students as if it had a mind of its own and the at the sheer length of time it continued to go. Eventually it too disappeared around the corner.

"Wasn't that great?" There was a sudden weight on Allegretta's shoulder, Ciel leaning on her as if they were long-time chums or worse, co-conspirators in what just happened. "He's really gotta learn to hide his fear of mice."

"Everyone is afraid of something." Allegretta said, her tone less than approving as she frowned at her leader's little sister. "And all of the school will know about the Professor's fear now. They'll use it against him for weeks."

Ciel shrugged and continued to grin, not that least deterred by her senior's clear show of disapproval. "Eh, no worries. I guarantee you after my next big prank, everyone will have already forgotten all about Peter. I'm not so cruel as to not spread the love equally."

"That's not my point." Allegretta wasn't even sure why she was trying. Knowing Violet, even as little as she did, she was positive that this was a conversation had many times before and the eldest Arc sibling was no doubt going to have choice words once news of this incident reached her. "What are you so afraid of, Ciel, that you constantly prank everyone?"

It just didn't make sense to her. Weren't pranks just things kids did when they wanted attention? When they were afraid of being alone or forgotten? There was no way that could be the case with Ciel, however. She was surrounded by siblings that adored her and two loving parents who always made time for any of their children. So then why?

Ciel's violet eyes shifted from side to side, as if checking their surroundings to make sure no one was listening to them. Then smiled facetiously and leaned in so close, Allegretta could feel her lips against the lobe.

She almost sighed, already expecting the loud shout or perhaps a tongue in her ear. What she got was none of that. Instead, Ciel whispered only a single word. "Expectations."

"W-what?" Allegretta recoiled as if Ciel _had_ pranked her, looking down at the younger girl in bewilderment. Ciel chuckled and pat her roughly twice in the chest.

"Not so hard to figure it out, really. I'm afraid of everyone's expectations. Violet is the strongest Arc born in over a hundred years. Amethyst, Olivia, our younger siblings, and I will never be able to live up to that. Doesn't keep the rest of them from trying.

"Sure, Amy acts lazy but when she thinks no one is looking she's pushing herself to the limits to try and close that gap. Livy is so obsessed with being like her that she literally developed a disorder. But me? No siree. I know a lost cause when I see one. I'll never catch up to her. I'll never even get close. I'm no push-over, but it's not like I'll ever be Violet-strong either."

Allegretta blinked, trying to follow the logic. "...And so you pull constant pranks because-"

"No one expects anything from a good-for-nothing prankster." Ciel shrugged like it was obvious. "I'm free from the burdens of people thinking I'm going to do great things like my older sisters _and_ I get to have fun. It's really a no-brainer when you think about it."

Allegretta chewed on that thought for what must have been only ten seconds, but what subjectively felt like hours. She had never expected such a sincere, honest, answer-

"Got'cha!" An uncomfortable, slimy feeling ruined that as Ciel gave her a wet-willy. Allegretta swung on instinct but was too slow as the blue-haired girl laughed and skipped away, just out of arm's reach. "Don't look so serious! It was a joke… like I'm actually afraid of something stupid like that." The younger sister shook her head and turned to walk away, waving a hand over her shoulder. "Keep a look out for my next big surprise! I guarantee you the whole school will be talking about it."

Allegretta watched her go silently, one hand still holding her ear as if she was afraid someone else was going to attack it next with a saliva-ridden finger. Part of her wanted to dismiss everything Ciel had said as just part of the prank to get her to lower her guard.

The rest of her believed that every word of it had been true.


	61. Divided

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Divided_

* * *

"Ciel." Olivia slowly stood, turning away from Fox's grave to look at the giant, demonic-shaped ice Grimm that loomed over Beacon Bay.

The graveyard stood on the opposite side of the campus grounds, yet she could see the monstrosity with ease, a testament to its massive size. The sculpture was disgusting to look at and it made her stomach churn to see Ciel's dagger and Semblance used in such a way.

Even in battles where life and death hung on the line, Ciel had been a source of comfort for her and all their younger sisters. Unlike Amethyst or Violet, she carried about with a sort of aloof confidence, as if saying everything would be okay through her mannerisms alone. This extended to the way she shaped her sculptures to fight, always molding them into something cute or charming.

To see Ciel's abilities take the shape of Grimm - creatures of death and destruction - it showed just how truly vile and twisted the swords were and how different they were from who the Arc sisters were as people. At least that was what Olivia felt, this being her first time seeing the results of one of them since being free.

The ice Grimm lifted a long, gangly arm that temporarily blocked out the sun, casting the entire school into the shade. Then it swung down, too fast for something of its incredible size. The resulting tremor reached the graveyard and she could hear the landside as the cliff and port was certainly obliterated.

A moment later and the tower of Beacon collapsed, either because of the quake or something else, Olivia couldn't tell. Either way, it made sense for the swords to want to destroy that building first. Without the tower and the Cross Continental Transit, they couldn't communicate with the other kingdoms. Of course, it would be too late to call them for help anyways.

Just above where the tower once stood, a giant dark purple rift opened and from that rift came flying out hundreds of spirits. Those spirits raced towards the ground and only moments later the echoes of gunfire and explosions began to emanate from the nearby buildings.

"Looks like it's show time." Coco stepped next to Olivia, placing one hand on her shoulder. The other was already holding her designer bag.

"We should focus on hiding Olivia first." Velvet fiddled with the box that had her camera inside. If all three swords really were here, they were no doubt going to need her abilities this time around. "They're after her and the others, right?"

"I'm not hiding." Olivia planted herself firmly, placing a hand on either hip and glaring dutifully at her underclassman. "I'm a trained Huntress. You can't just expect me to sit back and do nothing while everyone else fights to save _my_ family."

"It's for the best." Yatsuhashi said quietly, standing just next to her. "You do not have a weapon and your Semblance is limited by itself." She grit her teeth. He was right, of course, and she knew it. That didn't make the idea any easier. All three of her younger sisters had new weapons already, but having just been freed most recently, Olivia hadn't had a chance to get a new one.

It wasn't like Jaune ever fought with weapons. Of course, his hand-to-hand training was far more extensive than hers had ever been. Violet had made sure to teach her some but it was only the basics and it was something meant to buy time more than a solution.

"Even so… I don't want to feel so helpless." Her indigo eyes trailed back to the school where people were already fighting and then up at the ice monster her big sister had been responsible for creating.

"Then you won't have to." A new, but familiar voice said. It wasn't one Olivia could say she knew well, but it was enough for her to know they were all in terrible danger.

"Allegretta…" She breathed, turning around to see her sister's former partner and lover standing behind them. The older girl was exactly as Olivia remembered her, beautiful gray hair, pale skin, and the short sword with the hilt in the shape of a violin scroll at her hip. The only noticeable difference was the dark purple glow that outlined her body, signifying her as one of the dead summoned by Gluttony.

The summoned spirit didn't seem to be paying much attention to them, standing over her own grave and looking down at it with a strange expression. Olivia would dare even say it was nostalgia. "Amethyst was a strange wielder… you know that?" Allegretta began speaking again, although it was really just Gluttony using her voice for itself.

"It wasn't very often that I was compatible with someone, you know?" She turned away from the grave and took several steps towards them. All three members of of Coffee moved to stand between her and Olivia and the shorter girl had to peek around them just to make eye-contact. "It's interesting, how all you Arcs seemed to think that it was us swords that would be the ones to determine who we rejected and accepted. In reality, it was always the opposite. If we weren't compatible, it was because it was you humans rejecting us."

"Makes sense." Coco spit to the side, her bag transforming into the massive gatling gun. "Not many people wanted some dead-spawning creep for a weapon that can't even use it's own voice."

Allegretta threw her head back and laughed. It was a strange sound, not coming across condescending or even malignant. It almost sounded… charming, actually. No doubt a direct result of who Ally had been as a person. "You're not wrong, I suppose. I found most people who rejected me couldn't stomach the thought of calling on those they killed, not willing to face them. It was only those hungry enough for power that were truly able to wield me and deal with the constant bickering of all those I killed."

"And Amethyst was different, how?" Olivia tried to push her way past, but Yatsuhashi stuck an arm out, barring her way.

"She never tried to hide from her kills, unlike most." Allegretta tapped at the edge of her own plaque with her foot. "She brought me here often to allow Ally to visit her own grave and she didn't shy away from using her own personal kills in battles, whereas most others preferred to use those they didn't have to feel guilt over. I almost think she was punishing herself by summoning them to remind her of what she had done."

Olivia bit her lip. What Gluttony said unfortunately made quite a bit of sense in retrospect. It was also something she never tried to think about. Thanks to her older sisters, she had never been forced to take the life of someone before Envy took over. It was a guilt that Violet and Amethyst had been determined the spare the rest of them from.

"You all were rather interesting, actually. Don't you think so too, Envy's former wielder?" Allegretta asked, giving an almost radiant smile that showed off her dimples.

"What is the point of asking her such things?" Yatsuhashi attempted to push Olivia further back, but she held her ground and refused to budge from the spot.

Allegretta shrugged, not appearing at all deterred. "I thought it would be interesting to talk to one of the former wielder's is all. Before I have to kill them, that is. The glyph bearer was pretty smart, hiding them all here and away from the rest of us. Before he died, none of us ever got the chance to speak to those he freed. Speaking of, I notice you haven't taken on the honor of branding yourself. I thought you might given you're the eldest left and I know you kept Noir's book."

"Yatsu, I don't need you to protect me." Olivia pushed past her boyfriend, knocking his arm aside and fixing him with a stern glare. Their eyes made contact temporarily and her Semblance locked him in place. When she turned away, the effect vanished. "If you knew we would just replicate the Shatter Glyphs, why keep the book in tact at all?"

"Truthfully?" Allegretta asked, tilting her head to the side and causing gray hair to spill over the front of her shoulder. It wasn't like anyone expected the swords to tell the truth, but Olivia nodded anyways. "I'm hoping someone will deal with Pride for me. We've agreed to a truce for the remainder of this battle, but it's only a matter of time before she turns on me to determine the pecking order amongst Sacred Swords. By herself I think I could win… but she's went and got picked up by the worst possible wielder. I do not think anyone has ever been so in sync with one of us before your eldest sister. It's gotten to the point where she's even capable of releasing Pride's true ability. A feat not even Noir's eldest brother was able to accomplish."

"True ability?" Olivia didn't like that sound of that. What did she even mean by something like that? If there was some secondary ability the katana possessed, Violet had never mentioned anything to her about it. Which wasn't exactly surprising, unfortunately. It always seemed like it was them dumping their problems on their eldest sister when she never had any worries to pass back down.

"Well, if you don't know it doesn't matter." Allegretta pulled the sword from her hip, holding the blade at an angle in front of her. The members of Coffee all tensed. Battle was imminent and yet more spirits hadn't come rushing over, despite knowing one of the sisters was here. Which either meant Gluttony was confident this one spirit was enough or an even more terrible thought was that she had found her younger siblings already too.

"Without the glyphs you don't stand a chance anyways."

* * *

"Everyone alright?" Joan's voice strained with the effort of trying to maintain her Semblance.

She and her team had been in the Cross Continental Transit when it collapsed, not even aware the attack had begun until it was too late. By sheer luck she managed to trigger a shield above her and her team just before the rubble could flatten them. That didn't do much to help all the others in the building, including Ozpin who was on the top floor.

"I'm fine." Pyrrha's voice responded first from the darkness. She couldn't see any of her team, the rubble blocking out any light at all. The only reason she knew they were at least alive was their erratic breathing.

"Good here." Nora chirped.

"I am good as well, considering." Ren was last, his hand resting comfortably on her shoulder. "You? Can you keep your semblance going for much longer?"

Joan opened her mouth to respond but no words came out, instead giving only a struggling grunt. "Just give me a minute." Pyrrha responded in her place, her partner focusing all her Aura into her Semblance. The metal rubble of the tower began to shift and groan, letting out ear-piercing shrieks as the numerous fragments grinded against one another.

Light filtered in from the widening cracks, revealing her team and Pyrrha who had both arms raised trembling above her head, eyes squeezed tight and lips spread thin in desperate concentration. Finally, the metal around them all was shifted far enough away to not collapse back down on them.

The two girls released their Semblances at the same time and simultaneously dropped to their knees, panting heavily from the earlier exertion. Ren leaned over Joan while Nora checked on Pyrrha. Now that they were no longer buried under who knew how many feet of metal, they could hear the sounds of battles happening outside. Joan's first instinct upon hearing the clashes and explosions was to channel Aura into her feet and leap immediately out of here to enter the fray.

Only the tightening grip of Ren's hand on her shoulder kept her from doing just that. "Joan… they're here for you. You know that, right?" He asked her calmly, yet firmly. Hearing him like that, the only thing Joan could do was grit her teeth so hard they hurt.

"Of course." She muttered. "Of course I know that. Even so… I want to fight." She gripped the handle of Milo, the weapon her friend and partner had entrusted her with. "You gave this to me so I could continue to fight. Isn't that right?" She lifted her face, blue eyes staring across the small opening into Pyrrha's emerald eyes. There was a trace of hesitance, it was small, but Joan had been with her long enough to see it. "Pyrrha!"

"I know how you feel, Joan." The redhead didn't turn away, despite looking like she wanted to. Instead she continued to meet her leader's gaze head on. "We all felt exactly the same trying to save you, but we're not ignorant to the reality of this situation anymore. Your sisters… they're strong. Unbelievably strong. And they're targeting you. We can't just run out there without some kind of plan. If possible, it would be best to find and team up with Jaune."

Joan felt some of the tension automatically slip from her shoulders. The thought of reaching her brother was a comforting one and it went without saying that the final blow had to come from him, no matter what the rest of them did. "Okay, let's do that then." She turned her head to the sky and their exit.

Before any of them could move for it, the wall (if you could call the piled debris that) next to them shifted and warped. None of them had a chance to react before it blew open, pieces of steel flying in every conceivable direction.

If it had been an attack aimed to beat them swiftly, Joan had little doubt it would have been a success. Instead, she and her team stood there stupefied as the metal fragments instead spun harmlessly around them, deftly taking to the air with dignified grace even Pyrrha couldn't recreate with her Semblance. "Miss Arc, I'm glad to see you are your team unharmed."

"Goodwitch!" The deputy headmistress stepped up from the makeshift tunnel she had created, the structure miraculously not collapsing behind her, or rather, it was more accurate to say she had cleared a path in such a way so that it wouldn't collapse. Not that Joan expected anything less from the person that held the second highest position at Beacon.

The click of a cane echoed just behind Goodwitch and from the shadows the headmaster himself appeared next. "Excellent, I was hoping to find someone else before we reached our objective." Ozpin adjusted his glasses and smirked at the team in front of him. "I see you all have your weapons. You'll likely need them."

"You're going to fight with us?" The relief was evident in Pyrrha's voice, but Joan didn't share in it. Something was wrong, judging by the fact that Ozpin wasn't staring at them, but rather to their left. She stole a glance to the side, but given the state of the tower as it was now, she couldn't even begin to guess what had once been in that position. They had been waiting for the elevator, but her sense of direction had gotten turned around during the ensuing chaos and she couldn't be sure if it was that or something else entirely.

"Not quite, I have a separate task in mind for the four of you if you don't mind. Time is unfortunately of the essence, so I must insist." The headmaster gestured for Glynda to continue with her task, no longer bothering to look at them as he talked. Joan couldn't say for sure, but it almost seemed like Ozpin was… anxious? It was the only word that came to mind but it was impossible to place if that description was adequate, as she had never seen anything outside of perpetually calm demeanor that he always carried himself with.

"What are you thinking?" Ren also appeared on guard to Ozpin's unusual display, asking his question with slow deliberation while observing Goodwitch's movements. The deputy headmistress had already set to Ozpin's task and was removing the last of the debris next to them, revealing Joan's earlier thoughts to be correct and exposing the elevator shaft. Or what was left of it.

Only it wasn't quite as she expected. The shaft of the elevator in fact descended below the ground level. And not just a little bit, either. Unconsciously, she edged towards it to discover that it went far deeper than she could have imagined. "What's… down there?" She was already asking this question before she even realized she thought those words.

"Something you and your sisters stopped once before." Was Ozpin's naturally cryptic reply. She didn't know why she even bothered, since it was already obvious that this was something students wouldn't normally know about. Although, if she went along that train of thought, there was someone among her sisters who wasn't normal, even by Arc standards.

"Violet knew something the rest of us didn't, am I right?" She didn't have to even turn her head to know Ozpin nodded. "Which means… Pride also knows about it." That was disconcerting enough as it was, that their enemy knew something most of them didn't. What was even worse; whatever it was Pride considered it pertinent enough to ignore her primary objective of killing the last remaining Arcs and instead go after this unknown quantity.

"To answer Mister Ren's previous question, I would like the four of you to stay here and… keep guard for anything attempting to leave." Ozpin and Glynda stood side by side in front of the elevator shaft now, the headmaster looking over his shoulder and back at them. "If it is anything other than Glynda or myself, seal the exit and attempt to keep it buried as long as possible. Can I trust you all to do that?"

"But… what about you?" Nora asked the question the rest of them didn't have the courage too. And Ozpin's only response was to smile at them sadly.

Even without saying it, they knew what it meant.

* * *

"You're absolutely positive that he's at the landing bay, right?" Autumn could only grunt and roll her eyes at Cardin's insistent questioning. How many times did she have to insist that she was sure, already?

"I found you and your team pretty quickly, didn't I?" She snarked, trying to peek around the corner of the hallway they were in, only to have her face rather forcibly shoved back by the orange-haired leader.

She had been alone in her room when the attack started and it only took a couple seconds to fully grasp the situation. She still wasn't sure what the cause of it was, but ever since her mock battle with Yang yesterday, she could feel her Semblance adjusting more and more to the natural protections of Beacon that had originally hindered any and all usage of the special ability.

Simply by closing her eyes, she had been able to ascertain the location of all her siblings, except for Amethyst. Even Violet and Ciel's locations were apparent to her, meaning that Gluttony was no longer shielding those two from her view. What's more, she had become familiar enough with all the teams Jaune had befriended since arriving to be able to pick out their distinct Aura signatures at a glance as well.

The closest to her location had been Cardin and his team and now the four of them were sneaking through the halls of Beacon's dormitory, hoping to make it to her big brother. Rouge was right next to him and judging by the locations of Ciel and Violet, he would be engaged in battle with their blue-haired sister in only a matter of moments.

As far as viable strategies went, she couldn't say who it would be most prudent to defeat first, but if one of their sisters was already in front of him, she knew for sure her big brother was going to go for her first. So that meant she had to get there as quickly as possible to help him. That was what she'd gotten these weapons for.

Autumn stared down at the compact gauntlets Ruby had designed for her and clenched both fists tightly, feeling the material stretch and and watching the alloy adjust naturally with the movement. For just a moment, she felt a flash of all those terrified faces and flickering Auras from her time under Greed's control, but quickly shook the thought off. This was different. These were her weapons and her actions now… and she was going to show her worth with them.

"Russell's giving us the all clear." Cardin stepped out into the hallway, no longer trying to hide his bulking size behind the corner. His other two teammates, Dove and Sky were quick to follow and Autumn did her best to keep pace.

The extra year of training and difference in sheer physical body mass quickly made itself as apparent as the three older boys made their way down the hall faster than Autumn was capable. Dove seemed to notice and slowed a couple paces so as not to place too big a space between them.

Sky and Cardin, however, wasted no time and continued in a mad dash for their green-haired teammate who was just around the corner on the other end of the hall. Even short range communication had been cut off from their scrolls when the Beacon Tower collapsed, and so they had been proceeding forward at a more cautious rate, their stealthy teammate sneaking ahead to check for threats before waving them forward.

So far it had been going without any problem, if only slowly, but something was off this time. Autumn would just be damned if she could place what it was. Russell was only just out of their view which wasn't unusual, as he was checking ahead in case the situation where they still couldn't see changed.

So what was different…?

It wasn't so much a conscious thought, but more like a voice whispering into the back of her mind that finally revealed the truth. It was all so simple, but it was a truth she had forgotten being stuck here at Beacon. Just because she couldn't see him, didn't mean she shouldn't have been able to sense him.

Autumn's green eyes widened, feet skidding to a stop.

"Wait! That's not Russell!" She shouted too late, her realization not coming in time. Dove had already slowed when he noticed her knee-jerk reaction, but Cardin and Sky hadn't been paying any attention. If anything, Autumn's shout had only made matters worse.

Both boys turned around, putting their backs to Russell. Or rather, to the thing that used to be Russell. The dagger-wielder leapt from around the corner, brandishing twin blades at his leader and teammate's exposed backs. The biggest difference between the old Russell and this one, was the purple outline around his whole body.

He was already dead, killed and absorbed by Gluttony's scythe while out of their view.

Autumn tried to open her mouth to shout another warning, but there simply wasn't enough time. In the next second, so many different things happened she couldn't possibly hope to keep track of it.

Cardin and Sky must have caught the movement out of the corner of their, both spinning back around. In an ordinary situation, they might have been quick enough to react. Being attacked by their one time friend and trusted teammate, however, it took them both a moment longer to realize the danger than it should have.

Sky didn't react at all, Russell's dagger slicing into his throat and spraying a fountain of blood without preamble. Cardin tried to raise his mace to block, but it was still too slow. The dagger cut into his wrist, severing his whole hand clean from the rest of his arm.

Now that he was a party of Gluttony, Russell's abilities were powered by the overwhelming Ambience of the scythe and as such, it seemed his weapons ignored Aura altogether. It was more accurate to say there was just so much Ambience honed into such a precise point that rather than ignoring Aura, it sliced clean through it.

"Ghrk-" Sky made some kind of sputtering noise, barely reminiscent of a human being, hands clenching around his now open throat as he stumbled backwards and into the wall. Cardin let out a guttural scream, dropping to his knees and holding the stump where his hand once was.

Dove, as inhumane as it sounded, didn't have time to take notice of this. He was too busy trying to save Autumn's life. She had allowed herself to be too distracted by the events unfolding in front of her, that she failed to pay attention to what was happening behind.

The yet still uninjured older boy had dashed up to her during the commotion, grabbing her waist with one arm and yanking her towards him. With the other he brought his sword up, intercepting the tip of a jet black scythe.

 _Clang_

The weapons bounced off each other, sending a shower of sparks skidding across her vision. From behind Dove, Russell was charging them now, leaving the teammates he maimed to bleed-out.

Autumn grit her teeth so hard they threatened to crack, blood forming at the base of her gums. "You bastard!" She held her left hand out, discharging a beam of orange lightning from the base of her new gauntlet. The undead Russell clearly hadn't been expecting the attack, taking the beam straight through the chest and causing hunks of his body to explode into purple wisps. His head twirled through the air, dangling almost animatedly as it grinned at them.

"Oh… how dangerous. Looks like Greed's former wielder as managed to get herself a new weapon. Gauntlets again to boot." The disembodied head began speaking, using Russell's natural voice and mannerisms as if it was second nature.

Dove's muscles tensed, at least the ones in his arm still wrapped around Autumn's body did. All the same, he didn't turn around for even a second to look at his dead teammate and two dying ones. If he did, the true Gluttony could end them both in that split second. For that same reason, Autumn didn't turn around to see Amethyst's body hanging behind them.

With her sister's incorporeal Semblance, she must have used it to sneak behind them. Now they were pincered between her and one of her undead summons. Likely the newest one, that was optimistically assuming she hadn't killed anyone else since arriving. If they didn't hurry out of this situation, she would have two more at her disposal.

Sky's eyes had already rolled into the back of his head, his legs and arms spasming uselessly at his sides. Cardin at least appeared to be hanging on, but with his main hand cut off and the apparent pain he was already in, it would only take Russell a second to turn around and finish what he'd started. And his body was already finished restoring itself too.

"Leave your teammate to me." Autumn managed to disentangle herself from Dove's grip, although with slightly more difficulty than she originally assumed. The guy had a hell of a grip. "I'll blow us a path clear and we can get your other two to some help. Just hold off Amethyst long enough for me to do that."

"R-right… and thank you." She couldn't see Dove's face, the two of them now standing back to back, but even she could tell he was holding back the flurry of emotions he wanted so badly to experience right now to ensure their survival.

"Save it." Autumn scoffed, green eyes glaring with unveiled animosity at the person she would have once called a friend.

She was only saving him the trouble of having to face his former teammate because it was better than her facing someone she still called sister.

That was all it was.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Hey there, everyone. It's been a while and for that, I apologize.

One thing I've been going back and forth on is character deaths for this final battle. The kid gloves are off more or less, but the problem I've been having is deciding who exactly will die and who I'll spare. The issue comes down to, does their death benefit the story in any way or am I just doing it for shock value/to rack up a casualty count. The latter has both pros and cons, on the one hand if I don't ever kill anyone, the whole threat feels empty and meaningless, on the other if I just start taking lives willy nilly, it feels cheap. So I'm going to proceed forward with caution and am still debating on an exact body count as we go. The nice thing about fanfiction is that this is all good practice and I can kind of gauge what works for me and what doesn't.

In regards to the omake, I've decided to make this the final one. Rather, I wrote this omake ages ago but wanted to save this one in particular to be the last one. With the story now entering into what will be its last arc, I decided it would be best to stop them here so the ensuing battles can continue mostly uninterrupted. I hope they've served their purpose and helped everyone get attached to all the OCs, because I certainly doubt the main story alone would have been enough to do that. They bounced around a lot, sometimes being outright crack to other times carrying more emotion than that particular chapter of the story itself.

* * *

 **Omake 55 (Final)**

 _Mother_

* * *

"Happy birthday, Joan! Jaune!" The entire Arc household cheered, all six of their sisters and both parents, while their mother set out the home baked birthday cake on the dining room table.

The blonde twins grinned at one another, their fingers interlocked and they sat at the front of the table. Their sisters stood behind and around them. Violet was behind Jaune, her two strong hands on his shoulders and Rouge was at his other side, their arms linked. Ciel leaned over Joan's back and Autumn clung to her side similar to how Rouge was on his. Olivia and Amethyst hung a couple steps back from the rest but not out of reach and he could feel their smiles without needing to turn.

After their mother set the cake on the table, their father lit a match and went about lighting all nine candles. The kitchen lights flicked off, someone having hit the switch and casting them into darkness. The cake looked magnificent, even more so when lit up only by the small flames of the candles. It was large, as it needed to be to feed all ten of them.

Jaune turned to look at his twin just as she did the same. Her beautiful features seemed to glow even more brightly when only illuminated by the flickering candle-light and he felt himself smiling involuntarily just looking at her. Her hand squeezed his a little more tightly, ever mindful not to cause his scars discomfort. "Ready, Jaune?" She asked. "Let's make a wish."

"Yeah." He nodded and they turned back to the cake. The two of them sucked in a deep breath and prepared to blow out the candles together. He closed his eyes and recreated the image around him in his mind.

I wish we could celebrate our birthday like this every year from here on out, just like this, all of us together.

He released his breath, blowing out the candles to complete his wish.

And when he opened his eyes back up he was staring at the ceiling of his bedroom.

 _Blink_

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he continued to stare up at the ceiling for several more seconds, trying to figure out what had just happened.

It was his birthday… right?

They were all celebrating just a second ago.

Lazily, his arm swung around to the desk next to his bed, slapping several times as he fumbled for his scroll. Finally, he found it and brought the device up to his eye. The date was correct. It was his birthday, alright… nine years later.

He wasn't turning nine, he was turning eighteen.

"Weird." He mumbled to himself, voice coming out more deep, having long since been robbed of its child-like qualities by puberty. Things were starting to click in place now, the fatigue from waking up beginning to wear off. That had been a dream, he realized.

Why did he have a dream like that now? Rather, why did he remember that birthday in particular in his dreams? It had been so long ago he had forgotten that memory entirely until now. It wasn't like that one had been remarkable or anything. The same as any of them, really.

Giving up on thinking about it, he threw the covers off and sat up. Just across him now was Joan's empty bed. It was completely made and the whole side of her room was clean. Of course it was, he told himself, Joan wasn't here right now.

She was out helping Violet fight the White Fang.

He couldn't say for how long it was that he just sat there and stared at her empty bed. It was their birthday, not just his, but both of theirs. It felt so… wrong, to celebrate it separately. There was nothing to be done about it and he supposed he should count himself the lucky one. He got to spend his birthday here at home. Joan could be sleeping in a cave somewhere for all he knew.

Maybe he should call her? He looked down at his scroll and considered it for a few minutes before disregarding the thought. It would be bad if she was doing something important right now and he ruined her concentration or maybe she hadn't had the chance to get much sleep. Instead he got up and padded across the room and out into the hallway.

The door clicked up and swung open with a loud creak that echoed down the hallway. He cringed at the noise and waited for someone else to complain. Only to hear nothing at all.

He looked down the hallway and at the adjacent bedrooms. They were all closed and had the same, lonely feeling that seemed to exude from Joan's bed. It wasn't just his twin that was helping Violet like it had been initially. All seven of his sisters were gone now.

He was the only sibling left at home.

Turning down the hall, he set forward and then began to descend the stairs. The once too narrow pathway felt wide and foreboding, as did the rest of the house. It had always been so cramped in their home, despite it having been quite large. At the very least, it was the largest one in the village.

He never realized how much room they had before, stopping at the entranceway and looking down at where everyone would normally leave their shoes. There were only the two pair, his and his mother's.

"Jaune?" As if his mom heard him thinking about her, she called from deeper within the house.

"Here." He responded and made his way towards where her voice had come. The familiar creak of the oven door led him to the kitchen where he found her. She was leaned over, pulling out something freshly baked and with a heavenly aroma. His mouth watered the second the scent washed over him and he wondered how he hadn't noticed it until now.

"Have a seat at the table, dear." She turned to him and smiled warmly, setting whatever it was on the stove top to cool and making her way over to the fridge. "Are you thirsty? You want a glass of milk?"

"Ah, sure." He did as asked and pulled out a chair, slipping down in front of the small kitchen table. His mother joined him not long after, setting the glass in front of him. As he took a sip from the glass, he caught her staring at him out of the corner of his eye.

"What's up?" He asked, setting the glass back down and turning to look back at her. It was uncomfortable for him to admit, but his mother was… beautiful. Not in like an everyday pretty kind of way, but it was almost like she had this maturity that transcended time.

She was exactly the same as he remembered her from when he was a kid. Her pale skin almost seemed to glow, even when there wasn't much light. There wasn't a single blemish of age, unlike their father who was sporting more grey hairs every day. Her hair was a fiery shade of red that Rouge inherited and she had streaks of violet comparable to his eldest sister's natural color that looked like they surely must have been dyed, but he knew they weren't. Then there were her green eyes, that contained wisdom far beyond her years and every time he made eye-contact with made him feel like he was lost in a deep, uncharted forest.

His mother smiled at his question, and he felt his heart skip a beat unintentionally. "It's nothing." She reached over and cupped his cheek in the palm of her hand, stroking it soothingly like she did when he was small. "I just can't believe you're already eighteen years old. Seems like only yesterday to me and you were…" Her voice trailed off.

"Mom?" He cleared his throat, but she didn't respond. Only when he pulled his cheek away from her touch did she seem to snap out of it.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear." She gave a short, melodic giggle. "I seem to have forgotten myself for a moment." She rose from the chair and went over to the stove top. "Your father had to leave town for some kind of Huntsmen business. I think he's just handling press for your sisters while they do all the important work, really."

"I see." Jaune grunted noncommittally, averting his gaze to look at the table. His wrapped hand gripped the glass of milk a little more tightly before giving a slight spasm, the pain on his scars flaring up. A moment later and his vision misted and he tried to tell himself it was from that pain, but even he knew that was a lie.

"Ta dah!" As if to blast away all that melancholy and loneliness, his mother triumphantly placed a small, unfrosted cake in front of him. "It's not done yet… but, happy birthday, Jaune." She ruffled his hair and placed a hard kiss on the top of his head.

"M-mom…" He blushed at the affection and tried to shove her away, but the action was halfhearted at best, something she seemed to notice as well. Instead of pulling back, she instead pulled him into a tight hug, cradling him gently against her chest.

"How about you and I take a train into the next village over?" She asked while continuing to hold him. "We can visit that mall you like and I'll let you pick something out this year for your present. Then when we get back you can help me frost the cake. How's that sound? We'll celebrate your birthday together. Just you and me, but it'll be fun. I promise."

Despite himself, Jaune let himself lean a little more deeply into his mother's hold. It was… familiar. If he closed his eyes and just breathed in her scent, it let him at least pretend he was younger again. And that everyone else was still here with him. Just like in his dream.

When he opened his eyes back up that dream would be gone. But that didn't have to be a bad thing. Even if he didn't have anyone else, he still had her. "Yeah." He whispered.

"I'd like that."


	62. Sloth

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Sloth_

* * *

Ah… Being alive is such a pain…

Day after day, it's always something. Sloth, do this, Sloth hurry up and do that. I'm so sick of it. Sometimes I just think it would be easier to die...

I looked down at the tiny dagger being held in Ciel's hand. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say _I_ was the one holding it. Even I wasn't really sure how this whole possession deal worked. It wasn't like it was my choice.

Damn fairy… always sticking their noses into things that don't concern them. Didn't she know it would've been better for everyone involved if none of this never happened? At the very least she would still be alive. And I…

I would still be content inside this shell. It wasn't exactly the biggest home, but it had been more than enough for me. In reality, I wasn't anything more than a small shard of energy, akin to a tiny ball of light. The dagger was simply the casing which protected my fragmented soul and drew upon its power. By far it was the smallest of the Seven Sacred Swords, but I didn't exactly care to move around too much anyways. So it was fine.

Everything had been just fine.

Until this forced hijacking took place, I hadn't been expected to do anything. It was entirely up to my wielders how to use my powers. I wasn't even what you could call a back-seat driver. No, all the other swords and I were little more than batteries… and that was just fine.

Except none of the others saw it that way.

Selfish. Selfish. Selfish.

I grit my teeth so hard, Ciel's mouth started to ache and a small trail of blood dribbled down her chin.

Ahh… Pain.

Yet another annoyance to remind me I was alive. Existing in this human body which had to move, eat, drink, and kill. Even Ciel's beautiful violet eyes were annoying in that every morning she had to put in contacts to even be able to see further than her own hand in front of her face. Then every night she had to take them out when she went to sleep. Why didn't she just buy glasses? It would be so much easier. How did Ciel do it… I couldn't help but wonder. That girl had been the exact opposite of me in almost every way.

Stupid busy-body, always up to something, getting involved in everyone's business and causing a ruckus. Why had such an active human opened up her soul to me of all the weapons? Why would she accept someone lazy, cold, and unmotivated like myself? I just didn't get it… and it hurt my brain trying to think about it.

Why did I have to think about it?

No one was forcing me to ponder on such a useless, trivial question. And yet no matter what I did, I couldn't help but come back to it. Why would a girl so unlike all my previous wielders choose me?

 _Rumble_

Ah… there went Beacon Tower. I supposed that meant it was my signal to step down and contribute more to this stupid and pointless mission.

Killing every single Arc.

What a pain. I don't even understand the reasoning behind it. And unlike my previous questions, I didn't care to have an answer. It wouldn't make sense to me even if I did know why there were doing it. Although I was at least sure Gluttony and Pride were doing it for different reasons.

How selfish.

I hate selfishness so much. Especially when I was the one who got dragged along because of everyone else's selfishness. Which had been the case since this whole debacle started. No one could get along and because of that I was forced to compromise. Why was I always the one who had to give in to the others? Why did I have to play along with their selfishness?

It was almost like I was becoming…

My gaze had never left the dagger, but if I adjusted the focus of my vision, Ciel's reflection stared back up at me from the ice of the giant ice demon we had summoned. I sat on the shoulder of our combined creation, one forged from my ice and brought to life by Ciel's Semblance.

She was absolutely beautiful in almost every way, inheriting the pale, creamy skin of her mother. Hair so blue it was an insult to even try using the ocean or sky as a comparison, and violet eyes the same as her eldest sister's hair. Not to mention she had filled in noticeably more than any of her sisters, although when not at home she seemed desperate to hide this behind a thick sweater and loose pants, another thought that constantly puzzled me.

This girl was full of contradictions that continued to baffle me. Almost like her oh so convenient Semblance. A perfect compliment to my ability and disposition. Bringing my ice to life after giving them shape meant I almost didn't have to do anything. They were the perfect tools, devoid of any thought. Devoid of any kind of selfish desires.

And yet that idiot, Ciel, never made proper use of this ability. Instead of using it to be lazy, she found a way to make even more work for herself, always using her ability to pull increasingly elaborate pranks, or to try and cheer others up, or just to have someone to talk to when she was all alone in her room…

"Tch," I was doing it again, thinking about this stupid girl and her stupid, mundane problems.

As if to banish the thoughts, I did something completely out of character and hurried to skate down the arm of ice Grimm in the shape of a Nuckelavee. Ciel's reflexes and balance came to me like second nature, almost as if this body had always been mine, making so I didn't even really have to focus on what I was doing, simply allowing myself to slide to the bottom while taking stock of the destruction already caused.

Gluttony's spirits had swarmed Beacon, explosions echoing all across the campus and toppling whole sections of buildings. She wasn't holding back at all, using every one of her available spirits to cause as much destruction possible. How very gung-ho.

Yet it looked like none of those spirits had made it to the harbor. Meaning she was leaving this area to me… which was just great. Exactly what I wanted. More work to do. Wasn't it enough that I used so much Ambience to turn the whole lake into a massive ice Grimm?

Or maybe she was having more trouble than what she initially thought? It made sense to think that these humans would eventually pick up on what we were doing and set up preparations ahead of time. Which just meant even more work for us… dammit.

I hit the hand of the great creature and with a short hop, fell to the broken concrete. The jagged remains shifted beneath my feet the moment I touched down and for a second I wondered if the shift would be enough to send me plummeting off the side of the cliff. How nice it would have been if that actually happened. Then I could say I got stuck below and it couldn't be helped.

Unfortunately, the piece of land I was standing on held and so I had nothing better to do but move forward and find someone to waste my time on. Not that I exactly had to go far. I made it only about twenty paces before four girls stood in my path, lined up side by side and looking absolutely smug.

"Ah… you again…" I paused when my eyes settled on the blonde haired girl. How persistent. This would make the third time I had gone up against her. If I remembered right… she had some kind of heat-based Semblance. Or was heat just a by-product of her Semblance? I didn't remember. In fact… "What was your name again?"

Oh, that seemed to get a reaction. The blonde girl had eyes similar in shade to Ciel's own, but for a brief moment, they looked to flash a terrible red. How scary. She straightened herself out even further than she was before, unfolding the arms she had crossed just beneath the chest that would give Ciel's competition and hiked a thumb at her cheek. "You better remember it this time, the name's-"

"Wait." I held up a hand, cutting her off. She obediently stopped, although I think it was more from the surprise at being interrupted than anything. "If you're going to ask me to do something bothersome like memorizing your name, then please spare me having to hear it at all. If I didn't learn it after the last couple, what makes you think I'm going to want to learn it now?"

"Wh-why… you little-" She started to sputter and shake, her whole body practically trembling. Jeez, yet another person so caught up in herself that she couldn't even be bothered to see how much her actions were troubling me. How utterly selfish.

"What are you even doing here?" I asked, pointing at her and then at the white-haired girl. "As I seem to recall, I already amply demonstrated the difference in power between us." It had been such a pain to put that much effort into something, so of course I was going to remember it. "I think Violet too made sure to tell you all to stay out of it, right?"

"You're not just dealing with them this time." The black-haired girl in between the two took a step forward, hand over her shoulder and on the handle of some weapon. "This time you're up against all of RWBY."

"Oh joy." I rolled my eyes, unable to disguise the gesture, something I blamed Ciel's natural sarcastic instincts for.

"We're going to beat you this time and make sure you're not able to hurt anyone ever again!" The little red girl with the giant gardening tool must have felt the need to say something too and so rattled off some line she probably read in one of those comic books Ciel was also fond of.

Although, scripted as it was, there was some interesting context to their resolve. This supposed last stand of theirs didn't make much sense, unless of course they had some kind of plan. Which meant one of two things… either Gluttony lied and the Glyph Bearer was alive, or they had already found a way to brand someone else.

I could ask, but they were almost sure to lie, thinking that me not knowing was somehow an advantage. Which meant… and as much as it pained me to say this… I should play along with their little scheme for now. Hopefully get something out of it.

"Fine then." With a flick of the dagger that housed my true self, I activated my own Semblance (or whatever you would call it for a weapon), gathering the moisture in the air and materializing solid blocks of ice.

Before they even began to take shape there was a blur of red and the scattering of roses. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the red girl swinging that scythe of hers at my left shoulder. I didn't have to so much as twitch, another block forming between me and the path her weapon took.

 _Thunk_

As sharp as her blade probably was, it didn't so much as scratch the ice I used to protect myself. There was a click and suddenly a loud bang as the scythe discharged a bullet. It hadn't been aimed at me, but rather it changed the direction of the scythe completely, sending it swinging at me from a new and completely different angle. But so long as there was more moisture for me to pull from, she could keep that up as long as she wanted, she would never get close.

 _Thunk_

Of course, I had more than just little red to worry about. It may have taken them a couple seconds more, but the blonde and black-haired girl had caught up. It didn't look like she'd charged up yet, but if I gave the blonde even a little bit of fuel, she would begin generating heat, not enough to melt my ice but definitely enough to slow down their shape construction. Which meant I was going to have to do even more work.

 _Bang_

Twin shotgun blasts launched the blonde forward and at the same time the black-haired girl simply vanished, appearing in the air above my head. All while red was swinging at me again.

None of them got to finish their attacks, a sudden gust of wind as powerful as a tornado washing over us and sending all three girls flying back to their white-haired teammate who hadn't moved from her spot. I also remained rooted in place, having frozen Ciel's legs up to the knees to brace for the impact.

I turned my head just enough to look back at the massive ice Grimm through the veil of Ciel's blue hair. The thing was slow and clunky, and while I couldn't use it to attack directly without risking getting myself caught up in it, just now it had definitely saved me by generating that gust. Just subtle movements from something so big caused the very air to shift, so a full swing was more than enough to cause that effect just now.

"Weiss, not yet!?" The blonde called over the still howling wind, probably talking to the White haired girl. Ah, I remembered now. She was one of those Schnee, which meant she could summon her previous kills. That's why she had stayed back while the others tried to slow down my whole construction.

I let out a long breath, activating Ciel's Semblance. The wind picked up that life-giving air and scattered it to the now complete ice Beowulfs. With several audible cracks, the two dozen spawned creatures came to life, dropping to all fours and charging the girls.

"Weiss…" The red girl's voice cracked at the end as she drawled out her teammate's name. She dropped the tip of her scythe into the concrete and pulled back the bolt action, unleashing a powerful shot. The black-haired girl transformed her katana into a some kind of small gun and began adding her own bursts of bullets at the charging Pseudo-Grimm. The blonde, at least predictably charged into the fray.

The shots glazed off my Grimm, scattering hunks of ice and occasionally getting lucky enough to shatter a limb. Now that they were already created, it was easy to mend the damage on the fly, leaving each one they disabled down for no more than a couple seconds. Add to that and there were simply too many of them.

In only a matter of seconds and it wasn't just the blonde, but the other two who had to switch to melee combat to keep from being overwhelmed by the miniature army. Honestly, I almost felt bad for these kids. I was even holding back because I thought they had something up their sleeve, but this was turning out kind of pathetic. Had they just been blowing hot air, after all?

"Gah, dammit!" The blonde collapsed down to one knee, several of the Beowulfs beating down on her at once. I would at least give her this… she was resilient. Being created from Ambience, these Grimm more or less ignored Aura when attacking, so she was taking the full brunt of thick ice being pounded on her flesh and bones without any of the protections she was normally used to. "I've had enough of this!"

With an enraged shout, she stumbled back to both feet, planting them firmly an equal distance apart and throwing her arms down to the side. A golden explosion washed off her very body, radiating outwards and blasting no less than six Beowulfs off their feet, completely melting at least two of them.

Steam from the melted ice wrapped around her and her teammates, partially obscuring them all from my sight. No sooner did it go up than something heavy stepped down, just hidden from my view. A new gust of wind from the other direction revealed a tall knight made entirely of light.

Oh yeah… hadn't she summoned something like that before? Remembering every detail was too troubling, but it seemed like that thing had gone toe to toe with one of my stronger creations back in Kessel.

If that was the case, wasn't this actually kind of bad for me?

The knight stepped forward and in one swing with the giant sword it held, split no less than eight of the Grimm I created in half. Another powerful gust of wind blew the rest over and those which had been destroyed were absolutely shredded by the pressure alone from that torrent.

Yep, this wasn't good one bit.

That girl called Weiss was trouble. The visor of the knight turned in my direction and while I couldn't see any eyes, I could definitely feel its gaze. The dagger in my hand came up on instinct, already beginning to form more ice. Which was probably a little too predictable, as evidence when another burst of roses came charging right at me.

A wall of ice rose in front of myself and the girl stopped just short of it, swinging her scythe in an attempt to force her way through. Only that wasn't all, because attached to the end of her scythe was a black ribbon. That cloth snagged tight, yanking the girl on the other end with it and launching her over the wall and straight at me.

For the first time since the battle started I was forced to dodge to the side, breaking away from the ice I had been using to root myself. Again I tried to manipulate more ice into a shape I could bring to life but only got as far as forming essentially useless blocks before the rose girl had dashed at me from around the side of the wall.

 _Clang_

The scythe struck the tip of my dagger, the reverberating shock of the contact shaking Ciel's whole arm and even reaching the tip of her toes. How fragile the human body was, if even something so minute could get such a reaction.

Ice sprout from the dagger, encasing the entire blade of the scythe in a solid block and weighing it down. Its wielder tumbled forward, offset from the shift in weight and I brought my dagger in the air above my head.

The giant of light was on me before I could do more than that, swinging its sword horizontally and over the top of the little girl's body. A block of ice sprang up beneath my feet, lifting me over the swing and shooting me into the air.

A massive shadow loomed beneath me, the arm of my gargantuan ice structure on the move again. It didn't matter how big that Schnee girl's summon was, it wasn't anything more than a speck when compared with what I had created already. Too bad in this case, size didn't necessarily equal power.

The fist of my ice creature passed beneath me and enveloped the Knight, meaning I didn't exactly see what happened next, but of the outcomes I was expecting, it wasn't the one I got. For a second there was nothing, the arm of the Ice Grimm stopping suddenly, almost like it was stuck.

 _Crack_

And then I heard it. The sound was so loud, I could only compare it to thousands of mirrors shattering simultaneously, which might have been about an equal equivalent as a spider-web of fissures spread across the whole arm, before the whole thing fractured apart, splitting into tens of thousands of fragments all the way as far as the demon's elbow.

The Knight stood triumphantly, sword raised, both hands gripping the handles and seemingly gazing at me. I could almost picture its smug look beneath the visor that hid its face.

"Damn… you guys really want to make me work." I grunted, waving my dagger in a wide sweeping motion. All the shards of ice created from the resulting collision paused in mid-air, their shape transforming to take on razor edges and then launching with uniformed precision at the thing responsible for splitting them apart.

"Alright, let's do this!" The blonde girl flipped over the Knight's shoulder, landing between its legs and just in front of it, placing her more or less directly in the path between it and all the flying projectiles.

If that already didn't make her crazy, that was nothing compared to what happened next. The knight raised its sword, seemingly in a defensive stance to protect the suicidal chick just beneath it. Only instead to bring the full weight of its blade down on her.

The girl raised the gauntlets above her head and intercepted the suddenly random friendly-fire, the force of the blow so heavy it cracked the very concrete beneath them. It was after this act, I finally understood what this girl's Semblance was: She took hits to store up power and then released it back. The heat was a side-effect of that stored energy and apparently the more energy, the more heat.

"Haaaa!" She waited until the last possible second, when they were absolutely surrounded by all the ice skewers. Then she slammed both fists into the earth, splitting it even further and sending a wave of heat so scorching I had to shield my face. If not for Ciel's Aura, I probably would've suffered third-degree burns, that was how incredible the heat just now was.

Needless to say, my ice couldn't possibly withstand such overwhelming heat and it was all immediately dissolved, casting a wide-spread mist over the entire area that I and everyone else was quickly enveloped in.

"I see…" With a dull thud, I landed back on the surface, nearly stumbling on the fractured and destroyed terrain. It had been in rough shape before, but now it was barely recognizable as having once even been the great entranceway to Beacon. I doubted even the great Witch could repair this kind of damage on her own. Standing up, I cautiously glanced around the thick fog, but of course couldn't see anything. "...So this was your strategy all along."

I had to admit, it wasn't a bad idea. The lack of vision was certainly a nuisance, but that was by far a smaller problem when compared to the temperature we now fought in. As things stood, standing in this steam was going to make forming any kind of ice sculpture a real chore. I could do it, certainly, but it would take at least five times as long. A luxury I wasn't even able to afford before. This team knew how fast I could create my sculptures and that was why they had been on the offensive from the beginning.

There was a hum from within the steam that I recognized as belonging to the Rose girl's Semblance. Then something was cutting from the mist behind me. I spun around, swinging my dagger to deflect the attack.

 _Clang_

Again our weapons bounced off each other, the clash loud enough to alert all others to where the two of us were. The tap-tap-tap of submachine-gun fire followed not even a second after.

I ducked and began to sprint in the direction opposite of where I last saw the scythe coming. Bullets whizzed over my head and my shoulder thumped, going stiff with pain. Ciel's Aura must have ate the blunt of the damage, but it still hurt dammit. I really disliked this human body.

"Where you going!? Huh?" Typical. The blonde girl flew down from above. I dove to the side, just barely dodging and landing in a crouch. She might not have had as much power as before, but going from the sound of impact on the ground just now, a single hit from her wasn't going to feel great.

More gunshots echoed and I was forced to move again, trying to find where this damn fog ended. Actually, wasn't this kind of strange? It felt like… no, it was definitely the case. They were guiding me in a direction of their choosing. Was it back to that Knight? One direct hit from something like that, especially if I didn't see it coming, was a death-sentence. Probably not just for me but Ciel too.

Which meant that wasn't the case.

 _Step_

Ah… It was faint, but with my senses as heightened as they were, I finally heard it. The approach of that sneak attack that was meant to end everything in one move. "So you really were alive." I released all the stored energy inside my blade, not trying to form some kind of clumsily shaped monster but instead encasing the person behind me, arm outstretched, reaching for the shell that housed my soul.

I turned, Ciel's violet eyes looking into the bright blue of Glyph Bearer "It's been some time, Ciel's little brother."

The mist was already beginning to thin, having not been able to last more than about thirty seconds in such a widespread area. I still couldn't see the others, but my new prisoner was perfectly visible. I had managed to trap his whole body in a solid block of ice, leaving only the top of his head and just past his wrists free. The ice creeped up his neck, just enough to make sure he couldn't turn his head to look anywhere but at me.

At the same time, I made sure not to let my ice touch his glyphs. If so much as a single drop melted onto them while still connected to the rest, the whole thing would come undone and he would be free to attack again.

His eyes darted down to his exposed hands; panic, fear, and realization all settling in at once. He was perfectly trapped, one hundred percent at my mercy. If I so wanted, I could end it right here and right now. Rather, I could have killed him the moment I detected him, if I had just formed spears of ice to skewer his frail human body instead of this prison.

A conclusion he also seemed to arrive at as he looked back into my eyes, his own gaze hardening to try and not show any of that fear he only just moments ago so blatantly had on display.

The corners of my mouth twisted up and I leaned forward, placing the palms of my hands on either knee, careful to keep track of the dagger in relation to his hands. "Well, well, well. Now what should I do with you?" I called out tauntingly, just loud enough for the others to hear as well, at least give them an idea of the situation.

"Jaune!" All of their voices rang out and I could make out their shapes approaching now.

"I'm going to have to ask you ladies to all wait right there! If you don't…" I held the dagger up and pressed it against the base of Jaune's chin.

"Like Hell!" Of course the blonde wouldn't be persuaded so easily. I looked purposefully back at the Glyph Bearer and watched as he weighed his options. Pressing the dagger a little more firmly against his flesh sped up the process.

"Yang! Just wait there!" He called, voice far more calm than I would have given him credit for. "I'm fine… for now." What was left of the mist vanished and I could make out all four of the girls' positions now, along with the still standing summoned Knight.

Not a single one of them had lowered their guard, weapons all still pointed at the two of us. But for now, they weren't making any moves to get closer. So long as I kept my dagger where it was, no matter how fast they were I would be quicker still.

"That's a good boy." I reached my other hand up and gently stroked his cheek, feeling the warmth of his body, at least the part not caught in solid ice.

He still didn't respond, at least not directly to me. I could practically hear the gears in his head spinning, trying to find some way out of this situation so he could destroy the dagger in my hand. If I gave him so much as an inch, he would take a mile and ensure my end without a second thought. It was terrifying, his dedicated resolve to his sisters.

"Be honest for me, would you?" I asked in that sweet tone I adopted since catching him. His face didn't react at all, continuing to glare at me while waiting for my demands. "Of all the swords… you must hate me the most, isn't that right?"

His eyes glanced up and to the left and I knew he was remembering that night. Even without me explaining, he knew why I was asking this question. It was because it was always me used to brand the new Glyph Bearers. Every single one of them from Noir right up until that night over eleven years ago when his father took me up to mutilate his seven year old hands.

In a way, I was the one responsible for damning him to this life and the root cause of all his suffering.

"No, that's not quite right." So when he answered that way, I was frankly surprised. His voice truly lacked any heat in it, and he met my gaze head on. I couldn't believe him to be lying, no matter how much his words sounded like they must be. I almost lowered my guard. Almost.

"You…" Then his hostility returned and I tightened my grip on the handle. "You and the others are all equally deplorable as far as I'm concerned. What happened when you were still just weapons was beyond your control, I can acknowledge that. However, taking over my sisters, ruining their reputation, and killing my family is something I can't forgive any of you for."

"Ah…" My smile naturally widened. "So you do have a good head on your shoulders… at least until your sisters are involved." Just maybe this had a shot, after all. "Hey, how about you and I team up?"

"Not a chance in Hell." His refusal came about as quickly as I expected. It wasn't like he was going to trust me just all out once. Dammit, Envy. Even when gone and you were screwing things up for me with your selfishness. If you hadn't betrayed him in that moment against Gluttony this might have been easier.

"Look at the situation you're in right now." I tapped the tip of my dagger against his flesh, causing him to flinch. "Even you must realize I've got nothing to gain by sparing you now only to betray you later. If this works well and we defeat the other two, I'm even willing to find a way to return your sister's body to her. This isn't a bad deal, right?"

That was all I wanted. To go back to being a dagger without having any worries again. Living as a human is too much of a pain, but having my soul extracted by those glyphs was a fate even worse. The only way it would all work out was if those other two swords went. They would never agree to returning. They were too damn selfish, doing as they pleased.

So that was why… it was okay for me to be a little selfish for once too, right?

"Sorry… Sloth." My back shivered, the way he said that name familiar, reminding me of a moment over a thousand years ago. It was that same remorse as back then, one that threatened to kill me, not because it wanted to, but because it had to.

"Y-you…" Looking at his blue eyes again, confirmed my worst fears. He knew. He knew everything. Noir… Gluttony must not have even noticed.

My stomach felt hot, the dagger I was holding against his chin starting to tremble and my legs turning to jelly. "Y-you… do you love your sisters so much you're willing to sacrifice everything to save them? Are you really so blindly devoted to them that you'd give up everything that makes you who you are? That makes you human?"

"I do." He again answered without hesitance, but this time it carried far more weight than before. My logic from the beginning had been flawed. I thought if I offered to give him his sister, he could be won over to my side. I understood now that it was so much more than that… he sought to destroy us completely, every remaining trace of us, no matter what he had to give up along the way. In his eyes, that was the only way to truly save his sisters… no, it was so much more than his sisters. It was in order to save this whole twisted family legacy.

"Ha…" I looked down at his hands. At those mangled, twisted hands that I carved out myself. "Hahahahahaha…." Ah, I understand. I understand now. "You're just as selfish as the rest of them. You and everyone else always doing as you please, no matter who you hurt along the way, even if that person is yourself. You, the other swords, fairies, humans… you're all so fucked in the head you can't even see it. See how much your motivations are hurting those around you."

"Sloth- what the Hell are you-?"

"Shut up!" I pulled the dagger from his chin, reaching up with my other hand and gripping his cheeks, squeezing his mouth into a long O. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! You damn selfish hypocrite! None of you get it at all! If you all would just stop trying to be more than you are, can't you see that everyone would be happy!? The only one that ever got it was-"

...Was Ciel, wasn't it?

Ah. Ah, ah, ah. I see now. I see what it was that made Ciel so interesting. That damn girl was such a busy-body, always getting involved in other people's messes and trying to help them, but never herself. The only person in the world she didn't love was herself. Instead of being like me, however, she went the opposite way. She went along with all their selfishness, even mine.

"Fine then… if that's how it is." I'm going to make you help me, one way or another. "If you really love your sisters so much… I'm going to make you prove it." I let go of his mouth, stepping away from the still bound blond and turning my attention to his friends. My movements felt disjointed, like my body was only barely picking up the signals the brain was sending it, causing me to stagger drunkenly.

"Sloth?!" Panic returned to Jaune's voice. "Sloth, what are you going to do!?" He tried to move, fingers spasming and face convulsing in a vain attempt to gain any kind of wiggle room. I reinforced the ice, sealing him in even tighter.

All four girls tensed, my attention now solely on them. "Hey." I called out, nearly causing them all to jump. "Did you know…" I took a step towards them. "That the speed at which I can create ice is instantaneous? That the only reason it takes so long normally is because I'm trying to use my imagination to create different shapes? That if I didn't bother trying to incorporate Ciel's Semblance, I could end things so much quicker?"

"Tch, don't keep underestimating us you bitch!" The girl I finally remembered as Yang took several running steps forward. "You keep saying that but we're all still alive!"

"Are you, though?" I turned to the giant Knight made of light. It was fading now, glimmering out of existence.

 _Splash_

And behind three of the girls, they heard what must have been the most sickening sound their ears had ever perceived. Three of them slowly turned, as if to try and deny the reality of what had just happened a little bit longer. There was no getting around this, however.

The truth was their white haired teammate had fallen.

Fallen... perhaps, wasn't exactly the right word.

I had created ice from the ground, shooting them up and at an angle, one piercing her from the lower back and jutting out the front of her stomach. The other pierced her in the upper right torso, coming out her back. Together, the two spears held the girl up, her head rolled back and hand gripping that rapier of hers so tightly her knuckles were turning white. Whiter than they already were. Which stood in stark contrast to her normally immaculate white dress which was now overflowing with red.

"W-Weiss…" The Rose girl collapsed to her knees, scythe clattering uselessly next to her. The other two didn't even have the capacity to move that much, just standing there and staring with wide eyes at the corpse in front of them. Trying to deny the reality however they could.

"It's shocking, right?" The malice in my voice was no longer masked, and somewhere deep in myself… I felt joy. Some sick twisted remnant Noir had accidentally pulled out when she separated me from the rest of her. "All this time you really believed you had some kind of chance against me. That I wasn't just holding back… but here is the reality. I may be Sloth, but even I'm powerful if I get serious."

Gluttony would be a problem with so many spirits… but she was originally the weakest of us. I could probably take her without the Glyph Bearer's assistance. Pride, however. If she used her true ability, even I likely wouldn't be able to react in time. That was why I needed the Glyph Bearer. If I had to kill every one of his friends to get it, so be it. I would just do so one at a time until he finally understood the situation.

A flicker of orange caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.

On pure instinct, I formed a wall of ice five times thicker than any I had created before in this battle. And yet in the span of a single second it was melted clean through. Steam thicker than before rose in front of me, blocking my view from whoever it was that just attacked.

The intensity of that heat and those flames I only just barely saw, however… there was only one person I could think of that could have produced something like that.

The mist suddenly bent and whirled, as if it was transforming into something else entirely. A wicked heat even more intense than what it was producing washed over me. My lips chapped and when I tried to swallow it felt like I just ate sandpaper. That was how dry this new heat was.

"I'll..." From behind the vanishing mist was a pair of molten gold eyes, fiery red hair, and a pink sweater you couldn't possibly take seriously as belonging to someone trying to kill you. Lust's former wielder, Rouge, stepped forward. "I'll destroy you." To hear the young, pure center of the Arc siblings speak with such devastatingly angry resolve. It was enough to actually make me think she might really be able to do it.

Where the heck did she even come from? Had she been watching this whole time? The battle up until now had only appeared close because I was holding back, but now that I'd switched tactics, she'd come out.

She held a new rapier at her side, the blade made entirely of a red Dust crystal. Which would have explained the intensity of that last attack, except one thing was terribly off. To produce that kind of flame, that crystal should be half the size it was now, if not more. Yet it didn't look like she used it at all.

The intense heat I was feeling appeared to be radiating from her body, the very air around her being distorted as if the desert sun was shining down upon her.

I thought her Semblance was supposed to be something like temperature nullification… but this, this was more like weather manipulation. She was actually changing the very state of world around her just with her emotions alone.

She was dangerous.

I had to kill her now.

Ice formed beneath the girl's feet, spearing out in the same way I just used on the Schnee girl. Only those spears never got close, melting almost as quickly as they appeared. And to make matters worse, it seemed the heat only got more unbearable a moment later.

Now I knew for sure.

She took the cool weather I just generated and converted it into something else entirely.

This was bad.

This was worse than I could have imagined.

This kind of ability was my natural enemy.

I took a step back, my foot kicking at a small puddle of water. Turning my neck just enough to look behind me with one eye, I saw the ice holding Jaune beginning to melt. Not enough to free him yet but much more and I was going to pincered from ahead and behind.

What was left of Team RWBY hadn't responded yet either, now watching the redhead with just blank expressions, unable to follow this rapid fire change in developments. If I wanted to survive, I had to focus all my attention on her too.

I had to attack her.

Yet I couldn't possibly generate something cold enough at this distance to her to have any effect. Which meant I had to generate it near me and attempt to overwhelm her in it. There had to be a limit to this Semblance. And that limit was surely under the amount of Ambience I had left.

These thoughts fired off in rapid succession, all this taking place in the span of under a second. This little girl wasn't going to give me any longer than that to think.

A small flicker sparked off the tip of the rapier. Which was all she needed to cause a chain reaction that ended in a hellish inferno comparable to anything Lust had ever generated. Those flames spun around each other, feeding off one another and growing stronger until they launched at me like a twister.

She was good. Making powerful flames with the smallest amount of Dust possible. Was this the result from having wielded Lust for so long or was this girl a genius just like her eldest sister?

This was no time to hold back. Powering all the Ambience I had possible into the tip of the dagger, I unleashed a blast wave of ice colder than Remnant was capable of reaching. That ice expanded rapidly, matching the size of the oncoming twister.

And then that terrible heat and overbearing cold in weaponized forms collided.

The resulting explosion from the point of impact caused another section of the harbor to fall into the the now dried up lake and I didn't doubt for a second that all other battles on the grounds stopped for a moment to take note of this exchange. For me to actually be the one involved in it, what a laughable turn of events.

The two attacks bounced off one another, the torrent of flames receding back and my ice melting to immediate steam, leaving a gaping hole in between us. Neither one of us let up on our attack, so not even a second later they collided once again, resulting in an explosion equal to that of the first.

Then it happened again, each resulting explosion caused Ciel's teeth to rattle, the arm holding the dagger to convulse to the point of nearly dropping it, and her legs to almost buckle under the pressure. But if it was like this for me, then it also must be the same for that girl born only a decade and a half ago.

If it just came down to a battle of who could last longer, than there was no way I would lose.

 _Neow_

What?

What just happened?

That noise… it was without a doubt the sound the glyphs made when they destroyed something, but that shouldn't have been possible. There was no way the heat had gotten over to my side. I could tell. I could feel it.

So what had just happened? Had someone from RWBY? No, there was no way to get close to either of us in this situation. The extreme temperatures alone made us impossible to approach right now.

I had to turn around. I needed to verify what happened. To see if he had actually gotten free or if my mind was playing tricks on me. There was no way he had gotten free, right? It was too cold… too cold.

Ah… I messed up. I was so caught up in guarding against the heat I didn't consider at all about what kind of effect my own power was having on this side. The ice surrounding Jaune must have expanded… until it touched his Glyphs.

"Does this mean… did I lose because I was trying too hard?"

The voice that answered came from just next to me, Jaune's hand resting on my wrist. No, on Ciel's wrist. "I really am sorry, Sloth."

Heh, I didn't even deserve to be called by that name anymore. In the end, I let them beat me in every sense of the word. In the end, I became just as selfish as everyone in the world I hated so much.

In the end, I really did want to live after all.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Five down. Two to go.

Since I'm no longer doing any omakes, I decided to write a longer chapter this time around. I did consider splitting this into two, at the point where Sloth first captured Jaune, but aside from adding tension to the whole moment and making Sloth's eventual demise seem more drawn out, I didn't see much point. So I kept it all as one.

The big reason for keeping it this way, was I did do something a little different this chapter. Not only is it the first time I've written from one of the Sacred Sword's perspectives, but I also did the whole chapter in first person. I did this for several reasons, but the first was just to kind of try it out and see how the chapter felt. It was also a really good chance to finally lay out some information from the other side of things and really get inside the head of one of the villains. Finally, I thought this created a kind of interesting tonal shift in marking this as the true beginning of the rest of the story.

I thought about trying to make Sloth sympathetic, but honestly it kind of had the opposite effect on me when proof-reading. I ended up finding her even more deplorable than before. Oh well, I guess. Kind of curious if anyone else's opinions on her and the sword's in general changed with this little experimental chapter. I'd be happy if there was any change at all, but I'm not sure if that's asking for too much since this was essentially a chapter about an OC within an OC.

And now, just a little information on the creation of Sloth, as I do whenever a sword is destroyed in story. In the first drafts, the sword was actually supposed to be a Shichishito, a kind of Japanese sword, and its initial power was always ice creation, however before it was only able to freeze the air. Ciel's Semblance in the first draft was actually Cyromancy, so Sloth would create the ice and then Ciel would be the one to manipulate it. However, this got changed and I combined both powers into Sloth and then gave Ciel a new ability in order to give the sword-side a kind of mob army in icicle Grimm. I also changed it into a dagger, because the way Ciel actually wielded it was more akin to a wand then a sword, so that seemed like a decent compromise. As well as the fact that I already had another Japanese-style sword in Pride.

Finally, her Latin name, Glacies Inferno, translates as Frozen Hell.


	63. The Walking Dead

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _The Walking Dead_

* * *

 _Cough, cough_

Cinder Fall collapsed to her hands and knees, sputtering out an ungodly tasting green substance that pooled around her, clinging to her skin and weighing her down.

"Wh- what happened… where am I?" She tried asking, only succeeding in making raspy sounds that she herself could barely understand as words.

It was dark here, only partially alight by small green crystals. Those crystals hung on walls that stood far apart, as if the long, seemingly endless hallway had been constructed not for humans, but giants. And down here with her was one other person she recognized well. The one responsible for leading her eventual downfall.

The orange eyes of Violet Arc stared down at her cruelly, as if looking at a unsightly worm that had crawled into the presence of a being higher than itself.

It was humiliating.

Completely and utterly humiliating.

She had achieved the power of the Maidens. The strength of nature itself, and she had been put down by a young girl with a Semblance that made it all useless. "Was it funny for you?" Cinder growled, looking down at her pathetic form.

Gone was her fiery red dress that only further radiated her once natural beauty. Instead she was in nothing more than simple white bandages that only modestly covered her bust and tan shorts she would be insulted to refer to as underwear. Her once flowing, raven black hair was chopped short and she couldn't even feel it on the back of her neck.

She was an ugly wench when compared next to perfect, immaculate Violet Arc. With her piercing orange eyes, long purple ponytail that didn't have so much as a strand out of place… and that completely unstained white shirt.

"Did you get amusement out of this, huh!?" Cinder's voice returned, coming out in a hoarse and ragged yell that felt like it was ripping her throat apart. "Knowing that you had a trump card that could beat me all along!? Such a perfect tool just sitting in your back pocket!? Making that little girl, your youngest sister, do the work for you while you just sat back and laughed at me!?"

 _Cough_

She couldn't say any more, choking on another wave of that strange, vile liquid that surged out from her lungs and spilled onto the dark metal surface. When she was done, a long string of drool connected her lip to the floor.

The pool of liquid spread and just before it could soil her shoes, Violet Arc made the first move since Cinder had woke to take a step back. That action alone caused a deep seething heat to build up in the bottom of Cinder's heart.

"You bitch!" She threw her hands up, eyes becoming encased in a golden veil and a powerful wave of heat to roll off her body. The power she called upon responded to her, burning away the still unquantifiable liquid and surging to encase Violet in its terrible flames. "Ha. Hahaha!"

Cinder felt her power returning. The Maiden power hadn't been taken from her. She could still do it. She could still accomplish her mission.

 _Gasp_

Those thoughts of triumph were cut brutally short as an uninjured hand reached out from the wall of flames that Cinder continued to unleash. The torrent simply bent and twisted out of the way by some unknown force, leaving Violet completely unharmed. With that extended hand, she grabbed the Fall Maiden by the jugular and squeezed.

Darkness creeped into the edges of her vision, stealing the veil that appeared whenever she used her power. And when it fell, so too did the flames she was able to summon with it.

"This is fun, yes." For the first time ever, Cinder heard the voice of the one she could call her mortal enemy. Someone she now hated even more than Ozpin himself. "Nothing makes me happier than putting humans who think themselves Gods in their place." She let go of her neck, allowing her to collapse back to the floor in another fit of coughs.

"However," Violet looked at the palm of her hand as if it was infected. "I have more important things to do right now than teach a human with borrowed power her position in the world. So I'm going to get right along to the point." She rested a hand on the hilt of her katana and nodded behind her.

"Go back to your master."

"...What?" Cinder struggled to lift her gaze past Violet's knees, but a powerful pressure kept her down, forcing her to stare at the floor and making her whole body feel like gravity itself was threatening to crush it.

"I'm freeing you from this casket that once housed your predecessor." Violet continued. "In return, you are going to go to your master and you're going to give her a message from me."

Was this girl serious? She thought that she would return without the relic or without having caused Beacon to collapse? That she would go back with her head held low after such a spectacular failure? "You think I would dare-"

The pressure on her increased to the point Cinder thought her lungs were going to crawl up and shoot out her mouth.

"Don't. Interrupt me. Human." Violet paused for another moment, as if giving Cinder the chance to dare oppose her again. Even if she wanted to, with the pressure as powerful now as it was, she wouldn't be capable of it. "Tell your master she can have her Maidens. She can raise up all her Grimm and she can even wield her precious relics. She can hide in her fortress behind all these spectacular powers and forces for as long as she wants. But in the end, there will be no victory… because when I'm done here-"

The pressure let off and Cinder's exhausted muscles screamed as she stumbled up to her feet, having been pushing so hard against the force that this was the natural result when it was gone. Violet had turned around and was already walking away, calling the last words hauntingly over her shoulder.

"I'm coming to prove which of us ancients is truly the strongest."

* * *

"Dammit, Cardin! Move!" Autumn didn't know what else to do so in the heat of the moment, so she kicked the older boy square in the back and sent the him crashing through a nearby door and into some poor kid's dorm room.

She felt bad about it, but undoubtedly that move just now had saved his life. He had tried picking up his mace with his non-dominant hand to help her fight, but the added adrenaline only caused his severed wrist to gush blood even quicker, until he was about passing out just standing.

Add to that and Sky had already passed on too, his spirit being added to Gluttony's arsenal, leaving her to fight the both of them while trying to protect their floundering leader. That kick of her's just now had saved him from a slash of Sky's pike that likely would've cleaved his head clean off.

Cardin gave one last groan from on top of the splintered wood of the shattered door and finally passed out. If someone didn't hurry and apply pressure to his wound, he was going to bleed out and then she would be fighting a battle three on one.

Not exactly odds she was looking forward too.

Despite having actual experience on the field in battle, she was still a young girl, younger than these Beacon students and she wasn't exactly familiar with her new weapons yet. If anything, it might have been lucky she was doing as well as she was fighting two undead summons that could ignore Aura while also defending someone who in his current state was worth than useless.

 _Clang_

Behind her, Dove surprised her by actually holding his own one on one in a direct confrontation with the true body of Gluttony being wielded by her sister, Amethyst. She had no idea that the normally silent student was so strong. In fact, she would go so far as to say he might be one of the strongest fighters she'd seen, being able to go toe to toe against such a skilled older opponent.

A flicker out of the corner of her eye caused Autumn to duck. Russell's right dagger flew over her head, slicing off strands of her left twintail. Meanwhile his left dagger thrust at her from the front. She met that dagger head-on with a open-palmed thrust, triggering a blast of lightning from the gauntlet.

Russell's dagger and arm up to his elbow was completely disintegrated, staggering the undead student. Autumn knew better than to consider that a victory. Unless she could expose the orb that housed his soul, he was just going to heal that damage in the next couple seconds.

Not that she got the chance, Russell's body ripping in half as Sky's pike cleaved through it, attempting to catch her off guard by hiding the strike until just then. If this had been the first time she'd seen such a technique, it might have actually worked.

Autumn's experience in fighting beside her sister shown through in situations like this and she easily flipped over the pike, already expecting such a strategy she'd seen Amethyst catch many an opponent with.

She smashed both fists together, unleashing a pulse of electromagnetic energy that washed over the whole hallway, staggering her two opponents and momentarily disrupting Amethyst's incorporeal ability.

It was only by constantly doing this she was able to ensure that Dove could fight without her sister using her Semblance to make quick work of him. Aside from helping him, however, it only bought her a brief moment's respite in her own battle and when the landed, both completely healed summons were charging again.

"Dammit…" Autumn raised her hands in a defensive boxing stance, bracing herself for whatever dirty tricks were coming next.

Only to have both opponents suddenly jerk to a stop.

"..." Autumn blinked. She didn't drop her guard, almost expecting this to be some kind of trap just to get her to do exactly that.

"Umm… Autumn?" She glanced back, Dove standing just as still and confused as she was. Even Amethyst had locked up, which meant she was really committed to the ploy or…

"Ah!" There it was! Autumn felt it as Ciel's Aura stabilised, finally being freed of Sloth's control. So that was what had happened… Gluttony must have also sensed the destruction of one of its own. But that also meant…

"So he survived after killing Envy, after all." Russell and Sky growled out in perfect sync of one another, giving an eerie, possessed nuance to their voices. Both spirits returned into their unprotected states, those purple orbs flying into the scythe before Autumn had a chance to react.

In the same motion, Amethyst had turned, sprinting straight for the wall and vanishing through it, her Semblance already functioning again. There was no doubt about it… she was going for her brother.

"I need to go." Autumn turned down the hall to sprint away, stopping just short of actually doing so to turn and look at the still unconscious Cardin. She bit her lower lip, weighing the options of delaying even for a second. Without her, Jaune might not be able to generate a chance to disrupt Amethyst's incorporeality.

But she couldn't just abandon Cardin and Dove… they were her friends. And so were Russell and Sky. It felt so wrong to just leave them after all this. They hadn't even gotten a proper resolution, her unable to avenge them by freeing their souls.

"It's fine." Dove must have sensed her hesitance, already leaning over Cardin. Even still he didn't cry for his teammates, despite having a moment of relief for the adrenaline to wear enough. Instead he quickly set to sealing Cardin's wound, ripping his leader's clothes to at least create a rag and stop the bleeding.

"Go, please." His voice cracked.

"Ah… yeah." Autumn nodded, turning away from him. Even if he wanted to cry, he couldn't possibly do it in front of her right now. Jaune was always the same. "I'll… no, we all will, we'll make Gluttony pay for you."

She took off running, turning the corner and leaving Dove to tend to his leader.

As she ran, Autumn activated her Semblance, scanning for the location of her other sisters. Violet took her a moment, because somehow she had ended up deep below Beacon… in some kind of hidden catacombs or something? She didn't know, but Joan was more or less directly above her. Rouge and Ciel were both with Jaune and that was without a doubt where Amethyst was heading, probably bringing the rest of her spirits with her.

And Olivia… was actually close! She was heading in this direction from the graveyard with what appeared to be several other powerful Auras. One of them in particular… she didn't know what to make of it. It was certainly an Aura, but it almost didn't feel human.

Well, she would find out soon enough anyways.

Autumn stumbled outside and bee-lined towards her older sister's group. Despite herself, she couldn't help but take stock of the damage around that had already transpired. Her sisters hadn't been here long at all… and yet there was already so much destruction.

Bodies of students, faculty, and former White Fang members that Lily had called in for back-up laid strewed across the shattered terrain, Beacon's prestigious view a broken and shattered image. Craters littered the ground, mounds of dirt and mud kicked up, statues ripped apart, sections of buildings collapsed and others burning with white-hot flame.

Just how ridiculously strong was Amethyst…?

Autumn couldn't help but feel the hopelessness of the situation while staring at the results of her rampage. This had been while all the spirits were scattered no less. Now that they were all converging on one location… would Jaune even live long enough for them to get to him?

"Autumn!" Olivia came into sight, calling her name and waving dramatically. It was almost comical, watching her short elder sister run ahead of the small group of far taller people… and miniature army of Atlas Specialist robots.

"Olivia-guh!" Autumn started to wave back when her sister put on a final burst of speed before outright tackle-hugging her.

"I was so worried about you!" Olivia squeezed tightly, pushing all the breath out of Autumn's poor defenseless lungs.

"I-I'm fine…" She tried to say, but ran out of breath only halfway through.

"I don't think she can breathe." Of all the people to speak reason, it was Reese who finally stepped forward and patted Olivia's shoulder playfully. Her leader stood not far behind her, both girls covered in numerous nicks and scratches but otherwise appearing uninjured.

"Enough idle chatter." A tall woman in an Atlas uniform that Autumn definitely recognized stepped forward next. "We need facts here. You all informed me that this… possible convict-" Yep, she was Weiss' sister alright. "Could enlighten us to the current state of things."

"Convict!?" Autumn squeaked, taking a threatening step towards the older Schnee. "And just where have you been all this time? You sure took your sweet time getting here!"

"Autumn wait." Olivia clamped a hand over her mouth, leaning in close to whisper. "Just… be nice to her, please?" With her mouth still covered, the younger Arc sister simply glared at the older, asking silently for her to give one good reason why. "Listen, we can argue later, but we gotta know what's happening. You can kind of tell, right?"

Now that she was paying attention, she could see that Olivia was covered in dirt and there was a small trail of dried blood leaking from her ears. Despite not having a weapon, she had been fighting with her all too. Probably against one of Gluttony's other summons which just suddenly vanished. Unlike these Atlas types who didn't look like they'd done anything yet.

"If you must know," Weiss' older sister straightened herself out, flicking a finger dramatically to the giant ice Grimm that must have been made from all the water in Beacon Bay. "We had to fly around that thing and find a safe place to land. Now that we're here, however, we are prepared to assist however we can. We'll make up for our tardiness by bringing this situation completely under control."

"That's right! We are combat ready!" The girl with the strange Aura spoke up next and Autumn took notice of her for the first time, recognizing the freckled girl immediately for the crooked pink bow on the back of her head.

"You're that girl who fought Joan in the finale of the Vytal Tournament last year." She had been incredible too, holding off Joan with ten swords simultaneously. In the end, the match was undecided as that crazy cult lady had started a Grimm invasion with the White Fang, which was the first public event that kicked off their search.

"That is correct." The girl suddenly went rigid, giving an uncharacteristic looking salute. "My name is Penny Polendina. Along with Miss Winter Schnee here, I have been sent to assist with detaining your remaining sisters and if necessary, assist with judgement on any further threat you seven pose to society!"

"Wait…" That didn't sound good. Nervously, Autumn's eyes ticked fraction at time back to the steely cold blue of the woman she now knew as Winter. She smiled almost cooly in response, sending a shiver up Autumn's spine.

"That's right…" She drawled. "I have been elected by the Council's to act as final judge on just what has truly transpired over this past month. If I find you seven to be in contempt, spinning some malign tale to try and avert our eyes from the truth, I will not hesitate to order you all-" She paused, Autumn kind of supposed just for dramatic effect.

"Executed."

* * *

 _In the end, I really did want to live after all._

Those were the last thoughts Glacies Inferno ever had… and for some reason they continued to echo inside Ciel's head long after she had vanished. Everything else before that was more or less a blur, just fragmented information she could barely make heads or tails of.

The only two things she knew for sure… Glacies Inferno was gone. And she had one hell of a headache. "Ugh… feels like I drank a whole keg or something."

"It'd be nice if it was something that simple, wouldn't it?" Her little brother asked, his voice sounding like it was carrying the whole weight of the world on his shoulders. It hurt to hear him speak in that tone and her first natural reaction was to crack some joke, at least try and lighten the mood.

"Spoken like someone who's never had a hangover before, bro." She cracked her eyes open, immediately regretting the action as sunlight directly assaulted her vision. She already kind of had a feeling, but now she knew for sure that she was laying down outside. Jaune must have noticed the discomfort because he shifted his head between her and the sun, giving her at least a little shade.

Although, compared to the now clear sight of her brother's exhausted expression, she in a way preferred the glaring rays of light. It also made her feel like an idiot for thinking a joke would be in any way appropriate. He was trying to smile for her, but it was pretty obviously pained and forced, not quite reaching his eyes.

"That bad, huh?" She was starting to guess things were worse than she could have even imagined. The ground was shaking occasionally, and she was familiar enough with the sensation by now to know that it was because of a battle. After a year of fighting the White Fang, she had developed a knack for distinguishing the tremors caused by explosions.

Instead of answering directly, Jaune helped lift her into a sitting position, revealing to her that she was in fact at Beacon of all places. Or maybe this wasn't too much of a surprise, since this school always seemed to be getting attacked by something or another. And as more of the fragmented memories in her head began to click into place, she was starting to get a terribly good idea of what just exactly it was attacking them this time.

Along with every other battle she'd ever been in, there was one another sound permeating through the air, causing Ciel's heart to drop and back to shiver. She didn't even want to look for the source of it. She was just so sick and tired of seeing it… seeing people mourn over the death of their loved ones.

Yet despite herself, she couldn't help but find her body turning automatically towards it. Standing a little past them, her back turned and watching the tragedy unfold was their youngest sister, Rouge. She was gripping an unfamiliar rapier, head bowed and right leg spasming occasionally. Ciel knew just looking at her that she wanted to run up to those not too far ahead of them. She wanted so badly to comfort them in some way or at least cry along with them.

She couldn't, however. There was just no way for her or anyone else to make their way into what was such a personal, horrible moment in those three young girl's lives.

Ciel remembered what it had been like for Amethyst after she lost Allegretta. In a way, she was thankful she had never saw her reaction just after it had happened, instead not seeing her for almost a week after the incident that took her partner. Even having not seen it, she had to imagine it probably looked a lot like this scene now.

The three girls were gathered around their white-themed teammate, whose name Ciel didn't even know, her natural beauty obvious even from this distance, even marred in blood though it was. They had laid the girl on her back, outside of an even deeper puddle of blood not even several feet from where they now grieved.

A girl in a red-cloak had thrown herself on top of the deceased one, sobbing uncontrollably onto her while the blond kneeled next to her, only gently rubbing the younger girl's back all while a steady and silent stream of tears rolled down her own cheeks.

The final girl stood just behind them, head bowed so it was impossible to see her eyes, but the devastation she felt was no less potent. In addition to her tears, she was biting her lip so hard it had split and a small stream of blood mixed with her other leaking fluids before falling from her face.

"Glacies Inferno… did this, didn't she?" Ciel already knew, but she still asked anyways. Jaune's grip on her back tightened a little further as he nodded.

"Yeah." He whispered, voice threatening to crack. "She did… and I'm the one that pushed her into it." She didn't understand the exact meaning of his words, but it was just typical of him to try and take on the blame for this, whether it was actually his fault or not.

Nothing she said or did right now was going to make him think this was any less his fault, so instead of trying she instead turned the conversation to something more productive. "The rest of our sisters?" She got the jist of things now, at least. Their swords had taken over and he had been destroying them. Rouge had obviously been saved long enough ago that someone made her a new weapon.

But what about everyone else?

"Only Amethyst and Violet's swords are left. Just a little bit more and this is all over… for me, at least." He said that last bit so quietly she almost didn't even hear him. And as foreboding as it was, there were other things she had to gleam from what he said first. It was great that so many of them were already freed from this disaster, but the real problem was that they had the worst two possible enemies left yet. And if the others were already set free then…

"Where are Autumn, Joan, and Olivia?" Ciel pushed herself up and to her feet, surprised to find she still had most of her strength left. Her shoulder was kind of sore, actually, feeling like it'd taken a Dust bullet, which she supposed was possible. Other than that, however, she didn't really have any complaints.

Jaune grit his teeth. "I don't know."

"Excuse me?" She bent down, grabbing her brother by the collar and lifting him off his knees. The expression wasn't so much anger as it was one of desperation. "We've got to find them, don't we? What the heck are we even doing still standing around here?"

"We can't leave them like this." It was Rouge who answered, and Ciel knew for sure now that she was crying too. Whoever it was that her weapon had killed, she had been close to these two too.

"Damn." Ciel clicked her teeth, again not in anger, but because she could see their point. These three couldn't possibly protect themselves as torn up as they were. If they all left and one of Mortem Caligo's spirits showed up, they would be joining their friend pretty quickly.

Speak of the devil as no sooner did she have these thoughts and three streams of molten fireballs came flying at them all.

Rouge reacted faster than anyone else, flicking her brand new rapier and channeling Aura into the Dust crystal that entire blade was composed of. Three bursts of flame kicked off the tip, equal in both power and size to the incoming projectiles. Even though it wasn't Fia Festa, Rouge's control was absolutely impeccable.

The flames collided and three separate explosions rang out from the points of contact, staggering Ciel and Jaune, and putting a premature end to the girls' grieving.

"My, my, my. So it appears you lived after all. You even still have your arm. Fascinating." Damn it… damn it, damn it. Ciel cursed inside her head as she glared at the familiar face covered in Mortem Caligo's purple outline. "I must say. I confess myself unsurprised. I thought it strange. Envy's wielder didn't mark herself. Most fortunate it was Sloth you ran into first and not me." Professor Oobleck fired off his sentences in a short, precise manner, speaking for the giant scythe that possessed their second eldest sister.

"Gluttony…" Jaune called out a name unfamiliar to Ciel, but combined with the names the undead professor just used and she was able to distinguish at least enough information to understand without asking.

"Quite so." The deceased Oobleck adjusted his glasses, smiling cockily at the group. "You've already been introduced to parts of me. Now if you would, please allow me introduce..." He took a deep bow, extending the tip of his canister turned staff behind like a magician turning your attention to his next act. And Ciel had to admit, it was a pretty fantastic trick. One second there was nothing, the next and her vision blurred with purple. "...All of me." Oobleck finished with a sneer, standing up right and floating next to the thousand of others.

Ciel blinked as if to be absolutely sure she wasn't just imagining things. Nope, they were definitely there alright. So many of them that they stood edge to edge of any kind of pathway through and then went back numerous bodies deep.

Standing in the front of the pact was Amethyst and her dead partner, Allegretta.

Of course she would bring the scythe to the front lines. It wasn't like Jaune could touch Amethyst with her Semblance anyways… and to make matters worse, her spirits could regenerate much faster the closer to the scythe they were. That was the only reason for her to risk coming to the front lines even if Jaune did have some kind of strategy.

Not that any strategy could possibly work when facing off against a literal army with the whole whopping force of three Arcs… one of which didn't have a weapon. Or anything around to bring to life with her Semblance.

She supposed she should add the three girls to their roster, since even they couldn't ignore this force now that it was in front of them. Even so, six against a thousand. Not great odds.

Ciel looked back, but it was only the destroyed dock behind them, more and more of it still crumbling, further cutting off how far back they could retreat. Jumping wasn't exactly an option either, since there wasn't a lake to chance their luck on anymore. Just a lot of solid rock… and an ice creature in the shape of a Nuckelavee.

Wait a second… wouldn't Sloth have brought that thing to life with her Semblance? If that was the case…

"Big brother, what should we do?" Rouge stepped next to her two siblings, holding her rapier up and at the ready. "I may be able to produce a heat wave like before… but I do not think I will be capable of holding long enough to be of much assistance."

"Yeah… umm…" Jaune looked like he might be sick, eyes practically spinning as he tried to take in the sheer number of enemies they had. Gluttony hadn't attacked yet, either because she was sadistically letting them feel the pressure of being so overwhelmed, or more likely because even she had to make adjustments to having so many spirits in one area at once.

Amethyst couldn't have possibly summoned this many at once so it made sense that there was some kind of strain to abusing the ability like this. Even more so since they seemed to be sharing one single mind, split up amongst a thousand different bodies, each one perceiving five senses.

"Your glyphs are on five second cooldowns now, right?" The blonde girl strolled up to them, rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck. "It's not perfect, but we should be able to buy you the time to spam the shit out of that. Also… I'm pretty damn pissed now. So let's go."

"Weiss wouldn't want us to accept death just sitting down." The black-haired girl slid a short katana from the sheath, that blade then folding into a pistol.

Ciel then felt someone tug on her sleeve and she turned to see the little girl in red holding a rapier out to her, probably the one that belonged to her friend. "You... you need a weapon."

"Thanks." Ciel couldn't possibly turn down the offer. Not only was it better to have at least something, but that action just now couldn't possibly have been easy for the young girl. These girls had guts… Ciel would give them that. What's more, none of their malice was directed at her, the one who had been wielding the dagger that murdered their teammate. They knew the score then… which meant she couldn't let their trust in her go to waste.

A low moaning sound echoed from across the way, all thousand plus spirits making some kind of terrible battle cry, either as an intimidation tactic or because they were ready, it didn't matter either way. Because they were charging now, some of them breaking ahead of the pack depending on their individual Semblances.

"Alright girls… and Jaune." Ciel gallantly strolled forward before spinning around to give them an exaggerated wink. "Brace for impact."

"What?" All five asked as a massive shadow passed over.

The giant arm of the ice Grimm, now under Ciel's control, slammed down directly into the middle of the charging spirits of Gluttony, creating a massive blast wave of dust and debris that concealed everything.

And once again sparked the beginning of outright chaos.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Moving right along to the next battle.

Other things that happened, Winter is here.

Cinder has also been set free. I don't know how clear or not it was, but she was being kept in the same system that they had been using to keep Amber in cryostasis. I talked about this particular plot thread a couple chapters ago, but obviously it's not something I had planned in the beginning. Volume three ended up changing a lot of things about how I both internally viewed events prior to the beginning of this story and how I was going to incorporate some of these things in.

Winter's part in the story in particular was actually going to be Ironwood, but since her character was introduced, I thought it made more sense to give the role to her instead. I also wasn't going to leave it that Penny died during the Vytal Tournament... because dammit, I love her and it took me way too long to introduce her in the story.

Fun fact, actually, in the super (and I mean _super_ ) early drafts of this story, Penny was supposed to be introduced after Autumn was freed with very specific instructions and she was going to end up killing Joan literally moments after Crocea Mors had been destroyed. Which was then going to result in Pyrrha kind of tearing her apart with her Semblance... Again, this idea was pre-volume three and was even scrapped long before volume three aired, so it's not like Pyrrha killing Penny in Canon in some way changed this outcome. Rather, I found more important story beats I wanted to include that could only happen if Joan lived past that moment, so that's why it got changed.

Just a little insight on a couple (of the many, many) things that have changed since the beginning and even before.


	64. The Living vs The Dead

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _The Living vs The Dead_

* * *

Rouge had been in plenty of battles up until now.

Despite the fact that she hadn't yet attended training at one of the four great Huntsman Academies. Even though she hated fighting, sometimes she could admit it was necessary. Just like right now was also necessary. So she had fought and was fighting. She would be hard pressed to remember a battle that felt as insurmountable as this right from the go.

She'd never fought one of her sisters quite like this before. Well, that wasn't entirely true as she did just square off with Ciel not even a full ten minutes ago. She hadn't exactly been thinking very straight when that happened. She was just so hurt and angry, having watched one of her new friends killed in that split instant. The very thought that Sloth was about to do the same to the rest of them…

Everything had just kind of boiled over and before she even knew what was happening, she and Sloth were battling.

And now that Sloth was defeated, Ciel was on their side and ready to battle. Rouge was embarrassed to admit, but she hadn't been able to contribute at all upon first waking up from her possession. Instead of helping her brother, she had just hid. Ciel only just woke up minutes ago and was the one leading the charge. She may not have been Violet, but Ciel had been the leader of a team of her own too. Under the pressure of an army of a thousand, that experience shown. "If your weapons have got guns, use 'em!" She hollered over her shoulder.

The entire grand pathway of Beacon had become their battlefield. It was awash in a cloud of dust that obscured the two sides from each other. A direct result of the giant Ice Grimm now under Ciel's control slamming its remaining arm in the middle of Gluttony's summons.

So it was a good thing their side didn't exactly have to aim.

Ruby, Blake, and Yang all began unloading Dust shells into the veil of smoke and without a doubt their shots always hit something. Gluttony just had too many spirits, all of them tucked together in such a tight formation that there was no way they didn't.

 _Rumble_

The giant ice Nuckelavee dragged its hand across the pathway, creating a small earthquake, kicking up more dust and no doubt wiping out Gluttony's spirits by the dozen.

Gluttony had no choice but to focus on that first.

Rouge's group hadn't stopped charging into the thick and after only seconds ran into the first couple spirits. Gluttony by then had turned its attention completely on Ciel's creation. Jaune didn't hesitate, He leapt forward and destroyed the nearest two with a glyph charge each, resetting his cooldowns to five seconds on both.

The remainder of RWBY hadn't let up on their barrage. Through the dust and smoke, Rouge saw ten different spirits whittled down. The glowing purple orb that housed their souls exposed. She triggered a reaction from the tip of her rapier. A pinpoint beam of fire arced out, zigzagging through those spirits like a knife through butter. The orbs burst into pieces, those souls passing on for good.

 _Shatter_

And then the inevitable happened. The arm of the Nuckelavee broke apart into thousands of pieces. Ice rained down upon Rouge's group and Gluttony alike.

"Leave defense to me!" Ruby was already on the move. Bursting into a blur of roses, she spun around her companions so fast they were covered in a tornado of red. The hailing ice, no matter how large, deflected uselessly off the twister and into the undead army.

"Damn…" Ciel looked at the ice longingly and Rouge knew immediately what she was thinking. As they were, even if she breathed life into them, the blocks of ice didn't have anything like limbs or joints to move like the structures she molded. They were useless to her.

"Gah!" Ruby screamed, an explosion going off at her feet. The young girl tripped, her momentum sending her skidding away from the rest of the group and right into the thick of Gluttony's army.

"Ruby!" Yang and Blake shouted together, moving so fast Rouge almost didn't see them. The terror and helplessness at losing Weiss was still fresh, pushing their bodies beyond the limits to not have to relive the same horror so soon.

Ruby was far from helpless, however. She hadn't even rolled to a stop before her scythe popped out, the tiny reaper jumping up and slicing through half a dozen spirits. In the next second and her two teammates were next to her. The three of them unleashed a deadly combination attack that mowed through anything within reach.

Rouge knew better than to assume they could hold that for long. All it took was one bad matchup or a summon with a Semblance too powerful and their whole formation would collapse. They had only gotten away with things for this long because they had been overwhelming Gluttony by cutting away their vision and using overwhelming force.

With both arms of the Nuckelavee gone, however, that game was over.

"Don't give up yet!" Ciel slapped Rouge's back, staggering the younger sister. She and Jaune both looked back to see her grinning fiercely, eyes overflowing with confidence. "We're not done yet! We still have plenty of tricks up our sleeves. Isn't that right?" With a purposeful look, her violet eyes locked with Rouge's yellow and suddenly she knew what she wanted.

It was a bond they had developed over the course of fighting many battles together. Or maybe it was just because they were siblings, because despite having never stood side by side with them in combat, even their brother understood what it was they were about to do.

"If we're going for something like that, I can help too." Jaune grinned, bending forward and slapping his hands into the ground. Dark energy pooled out from his glyphs, forming an alchemic circle on the ground.

While he did, Rouge unleashed a powerful blast of fire, fueling her Semblance into it and allowing it to twist and feed on itself to gain even more power.

Jaune's new Semblance ate a hole in the ground and a tall black entity towered over them while Rouge's flames took on a distinct shape of its own.

"Now this is what I call good old Arc teamwork. It's great to have you by our side after all this time, lil' bro." Ciel nudged his shoulder, breathing life onto the two creatures her younger siblings had just created.

"I'm the one who's grateful." Jaune smiled back, his eyes shining as their now combined creations took to the battle.

"Ruby, get out of the way!" Rouge shouted, a magnificent phoenix made entirely of flames, soaring towards them. Her friend didn't need to be told twice, grabbing Blake and Yang and warping them all to safety.

The Phoenix struck the area where they had just been, incinerating waves of Gluttony's souls at once. The heat was so intense there was no way for them to reform and the souls shattered like popcorn kernels in a microwave. The shape of the Phoenix fell apart, flames spreading like wildfire as they scorched everything in their path.

Then, with the aide of Ciel's Semblance already flowing through it, the Phoenix put itself back together, rising up from the burning cinders it left behind.

At the same time, Jaune's creation also stepped forward: A giant in the shape of a teddy bear he had once given Autumn for her birthday over a decade ago. With a single swing, it obliterated a dozen spirits at once.

The two creations stalked forward side by side, the Phoenix taking to the air and dive bombing another area that was quickly enveloped in flames. The bear mowing down the undead with every swing it took.

"Holy shit, we're like actually kind of doing this." Yang and the others stumbled back up to the Arc siblings, the six of them watching as Gluttony's forces were unanimously pushed back.

"Of course we are." Ciel flashed them all a bright grin before nodding seriously. "This isn't going to last for long. I mean, I have a feeling the less spirits she has, the better her control is going to get."

"Gluttony was just trying to intimidate us with numbers." Jaune continued his sister's train of thought. "Most of the spirits it has are actually really weak, but there's about twenty or so that are unbelievably strong. The real battle against her hasn't even begun."

"Well this is a Hell of a preamble." Yang was attempting to keep her usual flair, but to Rouge it was obviously forced. Blake nor Ruby were capable of joining in with her, instead staring resolutely ahead. If not for the adrenaline of battle she had no doubt they wouldn't be capable of even this much life.

"Do we really have time to just stand around talking?" Rouge asked, turning her attention away from her friends and family and back to the battle unfolding in front of them. She didn't mind the break, as creating that Phoenix hadn't been easy, but she didn't exactly want to give Gluttony a chance to get its bearings either.

"We're safer back here." Ciel chuckled, resting a hand on Rouge's head and jostling her hair. "Besides, she'll be retaliating full strength any second now."

"She will…?" Wasn't that even more reason to press the advantage? Even still, Ciel didn't appear concerned, instead inspecting the dials on Weiss' weapon and popping out one of the canisters.

"She sure will. Don't know about you… but I'd be pretty pissed off if I was her. Which is what's going to make her predictable." She tossed the Dust canister to Jaune who caught it at just the last possible second. "How's your fastball, lil' bro? Haven't gotten rusty, have you?"

"Huh," Jaune scoffed playfully, flipping the canister in the air and catching it, adjusting himself into a baseball pitcher's stance. "I bet it's still way better than yours."

"That's what I'm counting on." Ciel popped out a another vial of different colored Dust. "Should be any second now…" She wound up her arm, skipped forward and lobbed the vial high into the air, sending it flying in a perfect, slow arc towards where the giant bear was.

No sooner did she complete this action and a loud, ear-piecing shriek filled the air. The powerful sound waves distorted the area around the Phoenix and alchemy-crafted bear, ripping the two apart. From where they fell, twenty spirits stalked forth.

Rouge didn't know any of those coming forward by name, but she did recognize them as spirits Amethyst would call most often. These were her elite, those Gluttony no doubt had the most confidence in.

"You dare use such petty tactics against me!?" The undead called out in perfect sync of each other. "How long did you really think things like that would work-" They stopped short, the vial Ciel had thrown earlier dipping just into their field of vision as it fell almost directly in front of their noses.

"Hnhg!" Jaune gave a loud grunt, winding up and pitching the other vial at top speed. With pinpoint accuracy that was frightening, the two vials clinked together. The glass shattered and contents of the Dust inside mixed.

Now Rouge had heard horror stories from Weiss about all the times Ruby had been fumbling around with different types of Dust, but she always assumed she had been exaggerating when describing how powerful the explosions they created were.

Turns out, she wasn't exaggerating.

 _Boom_

The elite spirits were instantly caught in the mushroom cloud explosion. The flash so bright, Rouge was forced to avert her eyes. A moment later the shockwave nearly sent her staggering.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you!" Ciel leaned forward, cupping a hand over her ear. "What were you saying!?"

"Jeez," Jaune groaned, patting down his shirt to knock loose all the dust and debris that had been blown onto them. "How did you even know that particular mix was going to cause an explosion like that?"

Ciel shrugged. "You get good at knowing what makes what go boom when you're looking to scare the crap out of people when they least expect it." If anything was for sure, Gluttony had definitely not been expecting that… even more so from someone who by all rights had no need to know about volatile Dust combinations up until now.

That pretty much summed up Ciel's way of doing things, however.

Completely unpredictable.

Rouge would be surprised if any of those spirits had survived. As the dust settled and the smoke cloud disappeared, it was apparent that the spirits that had been in the immediately vicinity of the explosion did, in fact, not survive. The shredded wisps of their once in tact souls fluttered in the air. Then faded from existence.

Left standing was Amethyst holding the scythe, Allegretta, Oobleck, and about fifty other scattered spirits. Two of which Rouge recognized as Cardin's teammates, and a paltry dozen other as former White Fang conscripts. Other than that, she didn't recognize any of them, which meant they were never spirits before worth summoning. Of all thousand of Gluttony's spirits, they had already managed to reduce them down to such a small number and even cleared the strongest.

"Big brother!" As if Gluttony wasn't having a bad enough time already, Autumn was now charging down the pathway behind her remaining personalities. And not just her, but Olivia, a small group of Beacon students, and what was undoubtedly Atlas reinforcements.

"It's Penny!" Ruby perked up at least a little, waving a hand at some girl who now appeared to be giving directions to the Atlas Specialist robots. The two dozen or so androids formed two lines, the row in front dropping to their knees and leveling their rifles while the row behind stood stalwart and at the ready.

"...And Winter." Blake's bow flattened with the movement of the cat ears beneath. For a second Rouge didn't know who she was talking about. Only to feel her heart drop when a woman that could only be described as Weiss' sister stepped to the front and right of the now in-position force she commanded.

Autumn, Olivia, and the others all stood slightly behind the Atlas forces, but even from here Rouge could tell that both her sisters were making uneasy expressions.

"Ah-hem," Winter stood up straight, placing both hands behind her back and staring directly ahead with icy blue eyes. "Amethyst Arc. Ciel Arc." She called in a crystal-strong voice that reminded Rouge of Violet. "Desist at once!"

"Ehh? Me too?" Ciel pointed at herself, looking back and forth as if to confirm she hadn't just misheard. At the same time, she had shifted Weiss' rapier behind her, sticking the blade into the ground and out of Winter's sight. Their older sister may not have always been the most sensitive type, but even she seemed to realize being caught holding that weapon right now was only going to spell disaster. Even more so since she seemed to be under the impression that Ciel was still possessed by her sword.

While observing all these different things, Rouge remembered never to take an eye off of Gluttony or her numerous personalities. The distraction caused by the arrival of the other group was enough for the sinful weapon to partially recovery its bearings and the numerous spirits appeared to be gearing up for its next assault now.

In the end, its primary motivation was obvious. It had abandoned all other battles with the intent of coming here and defeating Jaune. So it went without saying, when push came to shove it was going to throw all its remaining effort on at least accomplishing that.

"It's coming." So when they started to move, Rouge was ready for it.

Fireballs launched from Oobleck's staff. Russell threw both daggers. Some other spirit raised a rifle and fired. Another flipped up a broken slab of concrete. All these things got lost among the jumble of other long-ranged attacks now coming right for them.

Jaune didn't hesitate, jumping in front of the rest of them and slamming both hands on the ground. Ink blacker than night pooled out his palms, coating the ground and giving it the illusion of transforming into a bottomless pit. Then it took on a complex shape and there was a flash of light. The next second and the concrete was transformed, taking the shape of a pitch-black wall.

Gluttony's numerous attacks hit it not even a second later, the impact generating enough force to shake the ground and stagger them all. Perhaps even more impressive, the wall held, only small cracks appearing throughout to show it had even taken damage.

There was a blur of green around the corner and a flash of orange. Rouge didn't even realize it was the undead Oobleck that had charged around the wall until the members of RWBY were on him to intercept his attack.

Yang swung, knocking the staff to the side and sending Oobleck's storm of fire harmlessly into the distance. Ruby and Blake swung their weapons, forcing the former Professor to defend and pushing him back. "Get to the scythe already!" Yang hollered over her shoulder, unleashing blasts from her gauntlets.

"Right, let's move." Ciel tapped either sibling's shoulder, turning to run around the other side of the wall Oobleck had come from. Jaune and Rouge hesitated a moment longer, neither wanting to leave the team that had already sacrificed so much for them already.

If they just waited five seconds, both Jaune's glyphs would reset and they wouldn't have to fight their teacher. But did he even have time to wait that long?

"We've got this! Believe in us!" Ruby didn't even turn around, scythe swinging and deflecting Oobleck's staff. Even after everything, those three still hadn't given up… and Rouge knew she had to respond in kind.

She and Jaune were after their sister not a second later. They turned the corner and the rest of the battle came into view. Winter looked to be trying to shout further warnings, but her voice was drowned out by all the chaotic noise, heard by no one. In contrast, Penny hadn't hesitated to charge into battle.

Watching her fight reminded Rouge of where she had seen her before. She was the girl with ten swords fighting against Joan in the finals of the Vytal Tournament only last year. Her skills had only seemed to improve since then as she now held off ten separate spirits, one for each sword.

Behind her, the Atlas Specialist droids were advancing too, firing continuous bursts of their rifles. The Dust bullets tore through another dozen of Gluttony's spirits, the scythe struggling to regenerate them fast enough to keep up with the assault.

What was left of her spirits had been attacked from another angle by the group of Beacon students. Coco's minigun unloaded continuous fire. Velvet had generated a copy of that same gun to reproduce a similar barrage. A single spirit generated a small barrier to try and defend. Arslan and Reese charged headfirst into a single opponent. Yatsuhashi's sword clashed with another spirit who wielded a blade equal in size.

Autumn and Olivia had slipped past the carnage, bee-lining it for the scythe who only had ten spirits left to defend it now. Ciel was just ahead of Rouge and Jaune and was the first one of the siblings to make it to those last few spirits. Without Myrtenaster, however, she was charging in otherwise unarmed.

"You must really want to die." Allegretta growled for Gluttony, now being the lone spirit she was using to communicate. The beautiful, grey-haired woman stood side by side with the person that was her partner in life. Amethyst's red eyes were dull and lifeless, voice still unused since Gluttony had taken over and suppressed her personality.

Sky stepped forward, Cardin's former teammate jabbing his pike right for Ciel's face. Their older sister was far from defenseless. With the red scarf she had never left the house without, Ciel ducked under the blade, pulling the fabric out and looping it around the handle of the weapon.

"Hope you don't mind if I borrow this?" Ciel spun around, tucking her body and performing a leg sweep that caught Sky in the shins. The freshly summoned boy went tumbling and with a small flick of the scarf, Ciel wrenched the pike from his grip and sent it whirling through the air.

Two other spirits charged her from either direction, Russell from the right and some White Fang boy who couldn't have been older than seven, wielding a broken sword. Ciel skipped back, catching the pike and swinging. Taking advantage of its longer reach, she split the two charging spirits in half at the waist.

Like their sister had predicted earlier, however, Gluttony seemed to have much better control of her remaining summons now that there were so few. The two she split in half healed so instantly she might as well have not even hit them. At the same time the pike she was holding seemed to vanish, simply appearing in Sky's hand a second later.

Leaving their sister completely at the mercy of the three spirits that attacked her all at once.

There was a loud hum of energy and a streak of orange. One second there was no one between Ciel and certain death and the next there was Autumn, looking just as surprised as the rest of them.

"Not bad… Ruby." That surprise was replaced by a vicious grin, the orange-haired Arc sister's whole body starting to vibrate. Sparks of orange lightning discharging off her clothes. The three attacking spirits were battered back by a series of blows almost too quick to see.

Rouge had seen enough of Ruby's notes about the gauntlets she designed to know what was happening but she still couldn't believe it. Blitz Rose had a feature built in that pumped the energy generated from the Dust straight into Autumn's Aura, amplifying all her physical attributes for a short amount of time. Even in the notes, however, Ruby had jotted down that she didn't think the application would be practical or usable in real combat. Yet Autumn was using that feature now flawlessly, after only having the gauntlets a little more than a day.

Russell and Sky's spirits were battered apart, exposing the orbs that housed their souls. Rouge didn't waste the opportunity, already launching two streams of flames from the tip of her rapier that flew over Autumn and Ciel's shoulders, hitting the orbs and destroying them.

The third spirit raised its broken sword high, attempting to bring it down over Autumn's head. Only it never got the chance. Olivia came up from behind it and brought her fist down on the young, tragic boy's back.

Something most people didn't know about their neat-freak sister: Physically speaking, she was the strongest of them without compare. It was obvious when you thought about the Claymore she used to wield, but no one seemed to realize it anyways. A full-powered punch from her… didn't feel great, to put it lightly.

The boy didn't stand a chance, Olivia's fist bringing the spirit down and slamming it into the ground with such force the concrete ruptured and sent whole hunks of stone whistling just over the rest of them. The normally tidy green hair of their sister waved wildly in the air behind her, giving the impression of a dozen snakes slithering out from the top of her head.

When she stood, that hair fell back down over her shoulders, as neat and immaculate as it ever was. The orb from the spirit Olivia just punched popped into the air and Jaune leapt for it, glyph glowing just before making contact.

 _Neow_

And before it had time to even start to reform, he destroyed the orb and set the spirit free from Gluttony's curse. With that spirit now gone, Rouge's four siblings stood side by side.

The moment she caught up and a terrible, earth-shattering shriek washed over them. Just like the one that had destroyed the two creatures she and Jaune created earlier. Her stomach flipped and nausea overtook her. All strength in both legs vanishing as did her sense of balance. The whole world seemed to be spin and Rouge quickly lost any notion of direction, even up from down impossible to discern.

 _Neow_

It only lasted for a second, Jaune's other glyph destroying the sound-wave that had just pinned her down and the others down. With her ability to properly reason restored, Rouge knew now that source of that attack must have been Allegretta. Amethyst's former partner hadn't moved from her spot next to the scythe, but the sword she wielded was raised and pointed at them. At the base of the blade, right next to the hilt were four violin strings. Allegretta's Semblance allowed her to greatly amplify the noise those strings produced to create an attack like the one they had just been trapped in.

Fortunately for them, anything produced by Gluttony now was generated by Ambience, meaning Jaune could deal with it. Otherwise, they might have actually been in serious trouble just now. The fact that they were all still okay seemed to be particularly aggravating for the scythe. Allegretta's beautiful face contorted in an angry expression Rouge had never seen on her while she was alive.

"How…" She asked, vehement hatred oozing out of and straining at the edge of what Allegretta's vocal cords were capable. "How is this possible? The four of you should be weak! Without the power of us swords, all of you shouldn't be capable of anything! So how have I possibly been reduced to this against opponents so much weaker than myself!?"

Ciel snorted, letting out a deep belly laugh as she threw her head back, blue hair tumbling over her shoulders. "Holy shit… that's funny. Are you serious?" She wiped tears out of the corner of her eyes, glancing at her younger siblings.

The five of them stood in a single-file line directly in front of Gluttony and her few spirits not already in battle. Ciel was at the one end, Olivia next to her, Jaune taking up the middle, then Autumn, and finally Rouge. This was the most united the siblings had stood since everything began and youngest couldn't help but feel her chest swelled with pride to be once again by their side. The corners of her mouth curled upwards. "I kind of… understand what Ciel is saying." She said.

"Heh, of course you do. It's obvious." Autumn shook her head, planting a hand on either hip and taking a wide stance. "Only an idiot like one of the swords wouldn't get it."

That only seemed to make the scythe more angry, Allegretta's face forming a deeper scowl.

Jaune sighed. "I mean, they were all trained by Violet, after all. And our big sister isn't someone who views relying on a weapon you were given as real strength."

"It's because you underestimated us that you got brought this low, Gluttony." Olivia pointed an accusatory finger at the black scythe perched atop their older sister's shoulder. "Amethyst would have never made a mistake like that… if anything, she was stronger when in control then you ever were. If anyone here is weak, it's you."

"I'm… weak?" Allegretta's rage slowly dissipated, being replaced now by disbelief and… was it fear? "After all this time… am I really still the weak one? No, that can't be right." Then that fear changed to something worse than before: desperation. "I'm strong. I'm going to become the strongest spirit! I'm going to kill all you Arcs and I'm going to become stronger than even Pride!"

"Oh boy." Ciel shook her head, somehow managing to sound both enthused and exasperated at the same time. "Hate to tell you this scythy, but you lost from the very beginning. It never mattered if you were weak or if you were strong. That's simply because…" The huge grin she had before disappeared, both face and voice dripping with venom.

"You fucked with the wrong family."

Rouge would give her sister credit, she certainly knew how to push all the right buttons. Allegretta reached up and flicked the string on her sword, unleashing another soundwave to throw them off balance.

She was ready for it this time. Flamme Rose creating a twister of fire that raced forward. At the same time, Rouge used her Semblance, adding even more heat to the flames, causing the air to expand and disrupt the intensity of the sound attack.

"Nice one, Rouge!" Autumn's green eyes shifted in multiple directions at once. "Looks like your Aura blocker is gone… cause I can see you!" She spun around and Rouge turned just enough to see two spirits charging them. They looked like twins, the two girls had bright green hair, one wielding a hatchet, the other a knife.

"Olivia!" Jaune called, following Autumn's line of sight and moving to take them head on. Olivia wasn't a step behind him, trailing just close enough to their brother to not step on his feet. The first girl swung the hatchet, eyes locking with Jaune's… until he slipped to the side, giving Olivia direct eye-contact with the spirit. Her body jerked to a stop, being ensnared by their indigo-eyed sister's Semblance.

 _Neow_

And not a second later Jaune caught it with his glyph. The second one didn't stand a chance. Olivia already turned and locked eyes with that girl too. And just like the first, Jaune obliterated it not a second later. Both glyphs were down for five seconds now.

Gluttony didn't have so much as five spirits left to defend herself with. And she couldn't call the others to return. Not as busy as they were with the Atlas reinforcements. She had to make do with what she had.

Allegretta's sound wave dissipated completely and Rouge let off the flame attack, again using her Semblance to convert the weather back to something her and her siblings could cross. No sooner did she do that and Ciel charged, still wielding only her scarf as a weapon.

An undead White Fang grunt, face obscured by a mask, raised a factory-made rifle and aimed it at their sister's head. Only to never get to squeeze the trigger. Autumn blurred past Ciel, appearing to be nothing more than a streak of lightning herself. She landed on the grunt, fist slamming into its mask and sending the whole man sprawling.

Ciel ran straight for Allegretta. The beautiful, grey-haired woman stabbing at her with the sword and unleashed a sound-wave point blank this time. Only to miss completely, Ciel's red scarf springing to life like a snake.

It wrapped around her arm and diverted the attack… right at Amethyst and the last two spirits. One looked to be some kind of scorpion faunus. The other a high ranking White Fang Official with a chainsaw. Both of them were sent off-balance by the terrible sound attack. The sound wave stopped immediately, but the damage was already done.

Meanwhile, the scarf's other end reached around Allegretta's back. It tugged her arm with it and wrapped around the opposite wrist, trapping both hands behind her like a pair of handcuffs. Ciel hadn't stopped moving either, catching her in a headlock and kicking her in the back of the knee. Allegretta collapsed to her knees, completely at the mercy of their sister.

The last two spirits looked to shake themselves back to their senses but it was too late. Olivia was already on them. Their sister tucked into a low, wide stance, bringing a fist back. When that gut punch flew, there was the distinct sound of something rupturing beneath the armor of the larger White Fang member. The man launched like a rocket, smashing into the smaller scorpion faunus and the two of them flying far across the broken pathway, creating a cloud of dust when they landed.

Leaving not a single spirit left between Jaune and Gluttony.

Their brother leapt in the air, hanging suspended for a brief moment at the apex of his jump. Then he descended right on the scythe. His glyphs glowed brightly and he swung forward, fingers grazing the tip of the blade…

...and phasing right through.

Jaune fell past Amethyst completely, passing by her like she was a ghost and landing in a crouch just behind her.

Gluttony wielded itself for the first time, the long black scythe coming off Amethyst's shoulder. She turned around, spinning the blade and aiming it right at their brother's exposed back.

Rouge pointed the rapier behind her. Unleashing a burst of fire strong enough to lift her off her feet and cross the distance necessary in under a second. She thrust forward, tip of the red Dust crystal clinking against the blade of the scythe. And altering its course just enough.

The blade continued down, falling just to the right of Jaune and burying halfway into the concrete.

A pulse of energy washed over them, causing Rouge's hair to stand-up on end and static electricity to tingle across every pore in her skin.

Amethyst tried to pull the scythe up, getting it out of Jaune's reach. Only it didn't budge, buried too deep. More importantly...

Her incorporeality didn't activate.

"Big brother! She can't run, finish it!" Autumn yelled.

So that was it.

Ruby… she had installed something in the gauntlets capable of disrupting their sister's Semblance. All for this moment.

It wouldn't be something just anyone could use. Amethyst's Semblance phased her Aura out of existence, temporarily placing it on a plane that you couldn't otherwise interfere with. Autumn was likely the lone exception to that. With her Semblance, she could sense Amethyst, no matter what state her body was in. And if she could sense her, she could find a way to match their Aura's to the same frequency.

Amethyst's expression didn't change. Gluttony never was capable of expressing thought and emotion through their second eldest sister. Was she screaming in terror right now? Begging for mercy? Did it matter?

Jaune didn't bother saying anything to the scythe, not even knowing if she would hear anything it was he had to say anyway. Instead, he wordlessly reached out and touched the blade. There was no rush to the action or any kind of panic. It was more like he had just reached for his alarm clock to hit the snooze button, not end the life of the weapon that caused them so much pain and grief.

 _Neow_

There was a bright flash of light.

And then the scythe was gone, just tiny little sparkles that appeared as stars hanging in the air around where it had once been.

Rouge watched in fascination as the lights blinked out dozen at a time, the last remaining vestige slowly fading. Jaune, however, didn't stare at them at all. Instead just looking down at the hand he just used to end it. It was impossible for Rouge to tell what kind of expression he was making right now and she didn't have a chance to check, Amethyst letting out a groan as she collapsed.

Being the closest to her, Rouge was the one who caught her taller sister, nearly stumbling over the dead-weight and only just barely managing to keep them both upright. "Hmmm… thanks, Rouge."

"A-Amy, you're up!?" Had any of their other sister been conscious the moment the sword broke? From what Rouge heard, she didn't think so. Gluttony's possession had been a little… different than the rest, she supposed. That was the only thing that made sense, anyways. That or Amethyst was just really tough, which Rouge knew she was.

"Hey… can you spin me around?" Amethyst brought a hand up, resting her whole arm over Rouge's shoulder to help her in supporting her weight. "There's someone… I gotta say goodbye to."

"Uh… sure. Of course." Rouge shifted the weight, struggling to turn, not really trying to understand what Amethyst meant until they were facing in the opposite direction. Only after did she immediately understand.

"Hey… so this is it, huh?" Allegretta smiled sweetly, her face no longer twisted in some unsightly terrible emotion. It was the way Rouge always remembered her. She was herself again, free of Gluttony's control too… and fading out of existence along with the scythe.

Everything from her knees down was already gone, the rest disappearing too from the bottom up. Checking around, it looked like most of the others were already gone, only a couple struggling to maintain their material form for a few seconds longer.

"Ally," Amethyst's voice choked, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked for the last time at her partner and love. "I'm so sorry… I've been so selfish this whole time. I just didn't want to let you go. I never wanted to let you go… and you get dragged into all this with me." She bent her head, short indigo hair obscuring her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so-"

"Please don't blame yourself, Amy." Allegretta said, her own voice straining and Rouge realized she too was already crying. "This isn't your fault. I… I didn't want to say goodbye either. I loved you so much. I wanted to be by you just another minute longer. Another second. Even now I'm holding on for that." She looked down at her fading hand, fingers beginning to disappear and everything below the waist already gone. "So please… don't look away at the end. I want to say goodbye with a smile."

"Heh, that's so like you." Amethyst didn't look up right away, instead bringing her free hand up to furiously wipe away at the tears and snot clinging to her face. She didn't succeed, but looked up all the same, teary red eyes, mouth covered in intermingling fluids. Even so, that didn't stop her from flashing the biggest, most genuine smile Rouge ever had the honor of seeing from their normally stoic sister.

Allegretta gave a light, melodic giggle that even made Rouge's heart flutter and skip a beat. "What the heck is with that? You idiot… you're making me laugh."

"You're the one who told me to smile, jerk." Amethyst gave into a broken chortle of her own, arm holding Rouge clenching a little tighter and the tears starling to roll faster. "Dammit. I don't know what else I'm supposed to say here…"

"We don't really need to say anything." Allegretta looked up at the bright blue sky, as if turning away from her fading self. She was only little more than her chest, shoulders, neck, and head now. "I wasn't even supposed to be here this long, after all. We really were blessed… being able to stay together so long after I died. I'm grateful. Thank you, Amy… for giving me these last few years to spend by you." She looked back down, meeting Amethyst's eyes and giving one last, truly radiant smile.

"Hmm," Amethyst grunted, seeming to mull her words over for a moment longer. "I don't know if I would call what I did to you a blessing or a curse… but I would probably do it again even knowing it would end up like this. I love you, Ally." She gave another choked sob, smile faltering before returning full force. "Goodbye."

"Yeah…" Allegretta's neck vanished now, leaving just her head. "I'd do it this way too. Goodbye, Amy."

And then she was gone.

What little strength Amethyst had faded and she stopped supporting her own weight. It was too much for Rouge and the two sisters collapsed to their knees. Jaune stood awkwardly behind them. Ciel had been next to Allegretta the whole time, pretending not to listen while she pulled her scarf higher up her face, obscuring the lower half. Olivia and Autumn stood side by side, the older sister resting a hand on either shoulder of the younger.

Amethyst titled her head to look up at the same clear blue sky Allegretta had been staring at as she vanished. "Ah… finally." She sighed. "All those voices… they're gone.

"It's quiet."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Six Down. Just one to go.

So Gluttony is another sword that went through a lot of changes before I finally settled on what we got. Originally it was supposed to be a giant ring-blade, like what Tira wields in Soul Caliber. While it was a ring-blade, I went through several different powers I wanted it to have. First was actually what ended up becoming Amethyst's Semblance in that it could phase itself in and out of reality, making it impossible to touch it. Then I went with a kind of gravity power, more specifically like the Shinra Tensei and Bansho Tenin abilities of Pain from Naruto.

In the end, I made it this dead-summoning ability both because it seemed appropriately menacing (I felt the old abilities lacked impact) and like what I did with Glacies Inferno, I was looking for a way to give the swords a kind of army under their control. Also, I needed a way to reasonably bring Noir into the story so it helped serve the plot in that regard too. Of course, at the time I made this decision, I didn't know that this happened to be exactly what the Schnee do with their Semblance, haha.

Then I changed it from a ring-blade to a scythe very last second. In fact, I think up until chapter three being published, I still had it as a ring-blade in my head. This change was more just because I thought something that summoned the dead felt more fitting as a scythe, but now I wonder if it would've been better to leave it. Would've been kind cool to have the dead come out from the middle of the ring like a portal to Hell or something. Kinda late for such thoughts now, however.

On a final note in relation to the sword, the name "Mortem Caligo" translates roughly something like "Death Fog".

One last thing, this time not in relation to the sword: I decided to put up a poll on my profile. With the omakes done and the sisters now eating up pretty much the entirely of the word-count as of recent, I'm curious as to which one of them is your favorite. I think at this point they're well established enough OCs and I'm assuming if you're this far in the story, you must at least kind of like them. So if you got a moment, I would appreciate it if you hopped over to my profile and cast your vote for your favorite sister. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, I also wouldn't mind a review or PM of who you voted for and why.


	65. A Problem Created by Remnant

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _A Problem Created by Remnant_

* * *

Joan hated waiting.

It seemed like nothing she had done at all since being saved by her brother had been anything other than just sitting still and waiting.

The sounds of battles outside the tower had stopped. That meant either her brother had already defeated Gluttony… or something far worse than that had happened. Stuck in this wreckage waiting for someone to pop out of the elevator shaft wasn't exactly making it easy to gather the information she needed.

Ren had climbed to the top of the wreckage of the former Beacon Tower and was scouting for any kind of sign of activity. Nora was perched just beneath him, ready to pull him back if something came at them. Pyrrha was meanwhile staring intently into the darkness the headmaster had disappeared into.

Which really just left Joan to stand around impatiently and wait for something to happen.

"You've let your guard down, Joan Arc." Her eldest sister whispered in her ear. Joan's whole body went rigid, her grip on the handle of Milo tightening exponentially. She couldn't see Violet, but she could definitely feel her presence just behind her now.

What should she do? What _could_ she do in this situation?

Her team hadn't noticed yet. Ren and Nora still on the look-out for dangers above and Pyrrha looking below. Had Violet snuck past the redhead with her time-altering ability? If that was the case, did it mean Ozpin and Glynda were already dead?

There was no way. Violet may have been strong… but there was simply no way she had defeated two first-class opponents this quickly. But what else could have happened? Again, Joan was suffering from too little information to draw any reasonable conclusions. She needed something to go off of here.

So she steeled herself, turning just enough to catch half of her sister's face. It was just as smug as expected. "You're not going to kill me?" She had hoped for that line to come across as cool and aloof, but the underlying tremble in her voice gave away the truth.

"There's an order to things… and I happen to be a perfectionist." So in other words, there was something more she wanted to do before killing her. "Everything has finally fallen into place, despite all the others trying to screw things up for me. Now it's just me… and your brother left."

"Wha-?" Joan almost shouted, cutting herself just short to try and not alert her teammates.

"Joan!" It wasn't fast enough, all three of them finally realizing the situation their leader was in.

They went to move, but Violet was simply too fast. Before they even closed so much as a tenth of the distance, she was gone, leaving only one final message behind. "As a former wielder yourself, come and witness the final result with your own eyes."

So that was how it was.

Joan grit her teeth, staring at the spot where her sister had just been. Pride really was the very definition of her name, sparing the rest of the Arc siblings so she could in some twisted way get the feeling of having all the other swords watch as she proved beyond a doubt she was the strongest.

"I'll show up alright." She growled before shouting. "But it won't be to just watch! Jaune and I- we'll definitely defeat you together!"

"Joan…" Her team had all stopped short at her unexpected shout and she started running in the direction her sister had just gone. Only to stop herself when a new, unknown noise radiated from the elevator shaft.

"Oh-" Pyrrha realized too late that she had abandoned her post and a streak of flames came flying out from the pit that descended deep into Beacon's core. At the peak of those flames was someone Joan barely recognized.

"Cinder!?" So this was where they had imprisoned her? Right here at Beacon? But just what had they done to her and why here of all places? The once beautiful woman's hair had been cropped short, her skin now a sickly pale that looked devoid of proper nutrition, and aside from a wrap around her bust and brown shorts, she might as well have been naked.

"Tch," Cinder glared down at them, or rather, specifically at Joan. "I should have known. Where there's one Arc, there's always more of you."

"Why did Pride set you free? What are you and her planning?" Dammit. Joan needed to run after her sister, but she couldn't just let Cinder get away. Not after everything they had gone through in the first place to lock her up.

"Pride?" Cinder tilted her head, a look of genuine confusion marring her face. Joan blinked in surprise. So then… Did that make this some kind of attempt to undo everything Violet and the rest of them had done?

Joan hated how clueless she was to so many things now, but she at least got one answer out of this. Whatever this was, it wasn't Pride and Cinder working together. "Pyrrha, Ren, Nora…" She turned to her team. "I'm about to ask you all something really selfish."

"Hmph." Ren grunted, smiling and shaking his head. "We already know."

"You just leave her to us." Nora grinned fiercely, stepping up and wielding her new and improved weapon.

"Go and help your brother." Pyrrha pulled out two twin swords that she and Ruby had constructed together.

Joan grinned at them all. "You guys are the best." Then she turned and ran, giving chase after Violet. She wanted to fight with her team, but there would be other chances for that. She didn't want Cinder to get away, but there were more important things to her than that.

Right now, first and foremost, she needed to be by her twin's side.

* * *

Finally, finally, after all this time… Amethyst could finally have some peace and quiet.

Those thousand bickering voices were gone, no longer echoing around inside her head like some cacophony from Hell. Now there was just… nothing.

"Glad to have you back on the side of the righteous, Amy." Of course, she should have known better than to expect it to last. Her younger sister, Ciel, wasn't going to make things quite that easy, already swaying up to her, that annoying grin when she just gained some dirt on you splitting her face.

Amethyst felt her cheeks heat up, only now realizing how embarrassing and sappy that goodbye must have been to everyone watching. It wasn't like it was her fault, she didn't exactly get to pick the time or place Jaune was going to break the sword. If anything, she was grateful that Allegretta had somehow survived not being purged by his glyphs before the scythe so they even could have that chance.

None of this meant Ciel wasn't going to give her shit for it later when she was least expecting it. Such a thought made Amethyst cringe and at the same time… feel a small sense of comfort.

In the past it would be unthinkable for her to ever be looking forward to Ciel and one of her practical jokes, but after everything that had happened over this past month, Amethyst could actually say that the idea Ciel could be strong enough to not let that change her was a beacon of hope. It was like she was saying everything was going to be okay, just with her actions. Sure, it was going to be damn annoying when it finally did come back around, but that didn't mean it had to be all bad. Amethyst supposed she could say she had matured some too from this whole experience if she was able to see it that way.

"Let us help you." Olivia said, extending a hand in front of Amethyst's face. She and Autumn had both come over and were now bent down to retrieve the two sisters who sat on their knees. Rouge was just next to Amethyst, the older girl's arm still draped over her younger sister for support.

"Thanks." Amethyst gratefully accepted the hand given to her while Rouge took Autumn's. Both sisters stumbled to their feet, Amethyst with a little more difficulty which she couldn't say surprised her. Being possessed for a month, unable to control any of your actions wasn't exactly great for your motor skills.

She looked at her sisters individually, starting from the oldest and working down to the youngest. They all appeared to be fine… better than actually. Which was incredible considering they had all been through the same as her. Finally, she turned just enough around to see her little brother.

He stood only about an arm's-length away from them all, content smile on his face and watching their reunion. Yet it almost felt like he was observing it as an outsider and not one of their family. Which, given the current state of things, Amethyst couldn't say she blamed him.

"You fought well, bro." She reached an arm out for him, extending her fingers to pull him into the group. There was a flash of hesitance in his blue eyes, almost like he was asking himself if he deserved to take her hand. No, she knew that was what he was asking himself. "It's okay." So Amethyst answered it for him. "You're still our brother, don't start doubting that now or you'll never reach the end."

"The end, huh." He stared at her hand a moment longer, his own wrapped hand tentatively lifting to take it. "Is there really an ending to all this that I'm going to be able to see?"

"There is. Just keep reaching for it." Amethyst didn't wait any longer, snatching his frail hand by force and yanking him into her. It was a little awkward since he was taller than her, but she was the closest to him in height otherwise and Violet wasn't around, so she was going to have to do. Pushing his head down, she roughly jostled his hair and planted a hard kiss on the top of his head. "We'll definitely return the favor." She whispered, only loud enough for him to hear.

"What the heck are you two even talking about?" Autumn was giving them both a strange look, one brow hiked curiously and head tilted enough that one of her orange twin-tails had rolled over her shoulder. In fact, it wasn't just her but all of them were giving the two looks of varying levels of confusion.

"Wait… you don't know?" Amethyst blinked. That didn't make sense. Even if Jaune had never told them… it was something they all should have known, having once been in possession of the sins.

"Rather, it appears to be you're the odd one out here, Amy." Ciel seemed to be taking this in stride, as was usual of their most unpredictable sister. "The rest of us don't really remember much. Going off of your encounter with Ally alone, I'd say it's safe to assume you are both aware of and remember everything. Is that right?"

"Do we really have time to talk about such things right now?" Olivia gestured to the area around them and for the first time, Amethyst took stock of their present surroundings. Now that the dust had settled, the area was mostly clear.

And it wasn't pretty. The entire grand pathway to Beacon was in shambles. Whole archways had collapsed and it was impossible to walk in a straight line without tripping over fissures and rubble. The airship dock was… more or less gone completely now. Every few minutes more of the cliffside sunk into the lake below. What was left of it anyways.

The giant Ice Nuckelavee was still towering over them all menacingly. Both arms were missing and the creature was otherwise as still as you would expect from a sculpture of ice, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable to have to look at, even more so since it appeared to be glaring back.

Finally, there was increasingly loud shouting that now that she heard was impossible to ignore. Of course, she likely hadn't even heard it before now because stacked up to Gluttony, this was a light breeze in comparison to the shrieking tornado she was familiar with. Still, it was worth her attention to see what all the commotion was about.

The Atlas Specialist androids had formed some kind of blockade, barring anyone from Beacon getting any closer to the Arc siblings. Which did explain at least why they had been uninterrupted until now. If there was one thing Jaune didn't have, it was a shortage of help.

"Sal-u-tations!" Amidst all this, a ginger girl with a pink bow crookedly placed atop her head was skipping over to them, leaving Winter and the androids to deal with everyone else. The whole way she continued to give them what looked like a salute a child might give their parents.

"It's Penny, right?" Jaune stepped protectively between the approaching girl and the rest of his sisters.

"That is most correct, Jaune Arc, twin of Joan Arc and only brother of the now infamous Arc sisters." The girl skid to a stop with both feet, teetering back and forth with the motion and salute unwavering. "Your twin and I had a most spectacular match just last year. She was truly a worthy adversary and may I just say, I am most pleased to make your acquaintance." Finally, the salute dropped, Penny now reaching out an open palm.

"Uhh… Thanks?" Jaune shot a nervous glance back at the rest of them, as if asking for help with how to deal with this kid who apparently had a few screws loose. Only to be met with all five sisters averting their eyes, not one of them wanting to get involved.

"You are quite welcome." Penny forcefully took his hand and started shaking vigorously, causing Jaune's whole face to twist in pain. To his credit, he didn't verbalize a single complaint, despite the fact that Amethyst knew he probably wanted to cry. His hands weren't exactly good with even normal handshakes and this one looked… well, not normal to say the least.

Once she finished, Penny skipped past Jaune who was now too busy focusing on his aching hand to think about protecting the rest of them any longer. "Rouge Arc. Salutations." She greeted their youngest sister next. "I hear you are good friends with my bestie, Ruby. I also hope this means you and I can get along as well."

"Uhh- of course!" Rouge responded earnestly, matching Penny's handshake with equal vigor. "It is my pleasure to also make your acquaintance." This response seemed to make the green eyes of the odd girl positively beam. At least she seemed to be sincere, which right now was something the Arc siblings really needed.

"Ciel Arc!" Penny then moved onto their blue-haired sister, who for once seemed just as awkward as the rest of them, nervously extending a hand that Penny shook for them both. It was sometimes hard to forget because Ciel was so comfortable at home, but she was actually just as socially inept as the rest of them.

"Uh-" Ciel opened her mouth, but a moment later and Penny was already at it again

"I also know someone back in Atlas named Ciel. She is much different from you, however, if my records about you are accurate and up to date. Very punctual, she is. She and I do not get along, but I do try my best. I believe based on your information that you and I could become great friends. Even more so since you no longer appear to be killing innocents. Can I take this to mean Sir Ozpin's claims about sword possession to be true?"

"You mean you believe us?" Amethyst accidentally blurted, drawing attention to herself. Penny's green eyes were unnaturally piercing and full of naive innocence. It felt like she was staring into your soul, which Amethyst actually knew a thing or two about since Gluttony had done the same with her soul once already.

"With the present information available, I have no reason to believe Sir Ozpin or you to be lying." Penny smiled brightly, looking at them all individually once again. "I have also met your eldest sister on several occasions when she was in charge of the capture of Roman Torchwick and she was an outstanding human individual. Naturally, I will give all this information to Miss Winter to assist her with making a fair and unbiased decision in regards to your sentence."

"Sentence?" Rouge gripped the rapier she was holding a little more tightly to her chest, like she was gripping a lifeline.

"That's what Weiss' sister is here for." Autumn nodded grimly towards an obvious Schnee woman who continued to argue with several of the students. "I didn't want to ask, but… I don't sense Weiss' Aura?" Rouge, Ciel, and Jaune all inclined their heads, which was answer enough.

"I see." Autumn looked down at the new gauntlet's she was wearing and clenched her hands so tightly the rest of them could hear the metal bending. "Why?" She asked. "Why did so many people… have to get caught up in _our_ family's mess? Why should other people have to lose their little sister because of us?"

Amethyst nor any of the other siblings had an answer to give her. They all felt the same frustration and regret she was feeling right now. Not a single one of them had paid the same price so many others had to. They had been fortunate for that… and yet feeling happy that they were nearly reunited also felt wrong.

"That is incorrect, is it not?" Penny asked with such optimistic curiosity completely unfit for the mood that had settled over the six Arcs, that the only thing they could do was stare at her with varying degrees of wide-eyed, open-mouthed shock. She seemed oblivious to it, rolling onto the balls of her feet, green eyes roaming the sky and holding up a hand as she began ticking off points.

"I mean, certainly the swords were often wielded by the Arc family and were even named so, but that does not simply make them just your responsibility, does it? The whole world benefitted from the seven swords on numerous occasions throughout history and have even helped shape it.

"Time and time again they have been wielded for the sake of others. During the last great war, the Arc swords were never once pointed at a single human person, but instead only used to fight off the Grimm attracted by the negativity. Several times since the last one, war has been avoided because the swords were threatened to be used and other Kingdoms feared their powers.

"In addition, the practices of how to pass on the swords, including basic knowledge about the branding of a glyph bearer was all public knowledge accessible to anyone. However, human society as a whole decided to ignore this practice which in many places of the world today would be otherwise unforgivable because they too wished for the peace and protection of the swords.

"Looking through the data on this occurrence, it is my conclusion this could have happened at any time depending on if the necessary conditions were properly met. It just so happened to be you. Which does that also not make you the victims? I cannot say as it was not given to me to pass judgement, however, I think that as the data currently stands this was not simply a problem created only by the Arcs.

"Therefore, would it not be correct to say this was a problem created by all of Remnant?"

 _Clap Clap Clap_

It took them all of them several moments to realize something was very wrong. Actually, it would be more accurate to say there were a couple things very wrong.

First of all: While a slow golf clap may have been an acceptable response to Penny's speech, it wasn't exactly a reaction any of the Arcs were in a mindset to think of, let alone actually do.

Second and more important: It was coming from behind them.

"I admit, for a human, that may have been the most sensible thing I have ever had the pleasure of hearing one of you mutter." Their eldest sister stood not more than ten feet away, the katana, Pride, still sheathed and hanging off her hip.

She wasn't even looking at them, orange eyes focused solely on Penny alone. "In fact, I almost wonder if you're human at all. You... look human, but then again I'm not exactly what you would call an expert. You all start to blend together to me. Sometimes I can't even tell Jaune from his twin. I almost just cut her to pieces by accident a couple minutes ago."

"Pride…" Jaune bought into her bait, immediately stalking forward with a murderous gleam in his eye.

"Big brother! Wait!" Fortunately for him, Rouge and Autumn were both still pretty damn clingy and had latched onto him, locking his body in place and keeping him from carelessly approaching the last and most dangerous of the swords.

"Just wait for our reinforcements, bro!" Amethyst turned her head, praying to whatever deity that there might be that Winter and the others had realized what was going on…

...only to see the unthinkable.

Every single one of them. All the students of Beacon. The teachers. The Atlas specialist droids. Winter. They were all face first on the ground. It was kind of hard to tell from here, but there was the distinct odor of blood hanging in the air now too.

"...What. the. fuck?" Ciel noticed too, although what could have possibly happened was beyond her comprehension.

"Yatsu! Coco! Velvet!" Olivia went to bolt but Amethyst snagged her by the wrist before she could. "Let me go! I need to see them!"

"What we need is to keep our heads!" Amethyst yelled, immediately silencing all of them and earning their shocked gazes. She never yelled. Never.

All her life she had told herself she was different from them, that she wasn't worthy to call them her family. Now wasn't the time for such doubts. If she didn't put down her foot here, then when would she? These were her siblings lives at stake and she was the eldest without Violet. It was up to her to keep them safe.

"Pride didn't attack us despite dropping them all in the blink of an eye! Do you really think we can afford to split up now? Look around you and figure it out. We're all that's left." Not that Amethyst had any kind of idea what they could possibly do. Pride… this must have been that true ability Gluttony had been so scared of.

As strong as Violet was before, not even she was capable of this. Or had she been? There were just too many things about Violet that Amethyst didn't know. It had always been that way. It seemed like she knew everything about them, but none of them knew hardly anything about her.

"Analyzing…" Penny hadn't moved, but she was staring with intense scrutiny at the fallen mob. "Conclusion: No casualties. However, if they do not receive immediate medical assistance, there is danger to their lives."

"I'm impressed. With both of you." Violet also hadn't yet moved from her spot, the only motion she made since arriving to drum her fingers listlessly against the hilt of her katana. "That's right. They're not dead and neither are you because I made it that way. If everything goes the way I desire it, then there's a possibility I'll even allow them to be saved."

Amethyst had to actively remind herself to keep her own advice and not stalk right over to her big sister and deck her in the face. "You're talking pretty high and mighty for a fragment of one of your so despised humans."

"My disposition is not something I expect you to understand and I have no interest in trying to explain it to you. I'm only interested in one thing now." She raised the hand not on her katana and pointed a lone finger at their younger brother. "The time has come for our rematch, Jaune. I trust you've gotten stronger since the last? It would be disappointing if it was just a repeat of that time."

"It's not going to be anything like last time." Autumn growled, still clinging to her big brother.

"That's right!" Rouge nodded, burying half her face in his chest. "This time we're all here with him."

Ciel cracked her neck, pulling the scarf off to use it as a makeshift weapon once again. "Don't know if I'm as confident about things this time, but… nothing to it but to do it!"

"We'll definitely do it." Olivia stepped back towards Violet, yanking her wrist free from Amethyst's grip. "Everyone's lives are depending on us."

It looked like they were all prepared for battle. Amethyst didn't know yet what she could do to contribute, but she couldn't be the one to hold them back. The only way they got through this was together.

The six Arc siblings along with Penny tensed themselves for battle and Violet gave a pleased grin in response.

Only for everything to go topsy-turvy before even the first punch could be thrown.

Instead, the things that were thrown were massive broken slabs of concrete that rained down on where Violet had been standing. The distinct feature to these blocks was a slightly purple aura that hung around them until just before they collided with the already shattered terrain.

"Glynda!?" Ciel's eyes darted for the only teacher to put up with her for all four years at Beacon, finding her only a short distance to their right, standing next to some of the only unrooted trees to survive the raging battles.

The headmistress of Beacon didn't pay them any mind, continuing to rain down a storm of concrete on where Violet had been. Whether they were doing anything or not was anyone's guess, but Amethyst would bet they weren't doing much.

"What the heck, hold on! I'm on this one!" In the chaos of the sudden rock storm, Autumn and Rouge had gotten detached from Jaune and he was now floating on a broken block of concrete Glynda had lifted.

None of the sisters were able to react in time as that block was suddenly whisked away, flying to the opposite end of the broken pathway from Glynda.

"Jaune!" Correction, none of the sisters who had been standing next to Jaune were able to react in time. His twin, Joan, however came flying from out of nowhere, kicking off invisible platforms she created by reflecting light. In a matter of moments she had almost caught up to him. "Jaune, take my hand!"

Her twin reached out with one hand, the other still hanging onto the block for whatever reason. It must have just been frightened instinct and not anything like rational thought forcing him to hold on. There was a barely audible clap, the twin's hands locking together. Then the next second they flew over a couple downed trees…

… and simply vanished.

There was something like a shimmer in the air, but for all Amethyst knew that could have just been the reflection of the summer sun. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blur of violet and then that too vanished in the same spot where the twins had just disappeared from their world. It didn't appear to be Glynda's work but rather Pride following Jaune of her own volition, like a dog chasing a ball.

A moment later and the shimmering disappeared, whatever kind of portal that was having just closed.

Glynda's attack had already stopped, the last couple blocks falling and the occasional pebble still skipping around. The hard-ass teacher was strolling briskly up to them, adjusting her glasses and assessing the situation. "If you six are uninjured I need your assistance. We have to hurry and tend to the wounded. More importantly, we need you ready for what happens next."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Ciel jumped to her feet, waving both hands vigorously back and forth. "The first thing you do when I see you again is chuck my little brother and sister off into Neverland and then you just start barking orders. What the Hell is going on here?"

The rest of the sisters likewise didn't budge. Even Olivia who had been so desperately trying to check on her friends earlier. This new development was simply too drastic for them to wrap their minds around, and they all had frozen up, only able to look at Glynda for answers.

"Ha…" The deputy headmistress let out a long, drawn out sigh. "I'll explain everything while we work. There's much to be done and we do not necessarily have much time depending on where they are."

"You mean you don't even know _where_ you just sent them? What kind of teacher are you?" Autumn looked ready to bolt for the tree where they had disappeared over, despite the fact that it wasn't likely to do her any good.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I know where I sent them." Glynda appeared to have enough, starting to head towards all the injured. Penny had already moved ahead and was crouching over Winter now.

"Where?" Rouge asked as if she was about to start crying any second now.

That was enough to get even the ever strict teacher to stop. She let out another sigh and glanced back at the direction she came from. Now that Amethyst thought about it, wasn't it weird that she had popped out of nowhere. How had Pride missed her? Unless… she hadn't been at Beacon at all. In which case only one thing made sense. Just as Amethyst came to that conclusion, Glynda answered.

"I sent them to Fae."

* * *

"Uhh… What the hell just happened?" Joan asked, trying to decide where it was they now were.

One second they had both been in Beacon. The next they… well, weren't.

In fact, this didn't look like anywhere on Remnant she had ever heard of. The twins sat a field of short silver grass that stretched endlessly in every direction, as if it was an ocean on a calm summer's day and not solid land. There were no hills, no mountains, not even any trees. In fact, there wasn't any kind of incline or decline at all and every single silver blade of grass was the exact same length as far as the eye could see.

The sky above them was a normal blue, but that was about the only similarity it had to the one they had just been under not seconds before. Unlike theirs, this sky had no celestial body like the sun giving it light. It was as if it just… was. That wasn't to say the sky was empty, however.

Islands floated like clouds, traveling slowly in whatever direction they pleased, paying no regard to the slight breeze that jostled the twin's golden hair. At the top of those islands, it looked like there might have even been trees and possible wildlife.

Even more strange than these islands were the rivers. That was if you could even call them rivers. They looked more like tubes of water just flowing through the air, again seemingly without end. Only calling them tubes also felt misleading because they definitely weren't solid, the occasional droplet breaking away from these sky rivers and raining on them, one drop in particular hitting Joan on the cheek.

The two twins felt very out of place in this world. Jaune was as he normally was, still wearing his t-shirt and shorts, wraps around his hands up to the elbows. Joan was in her Beacon uniform, the modified Milo hanging off her hip.

"If I had to guess… Fae." Jaune stumbled to his feet, getting off the block he had been standing on that had carried them over. When he was up he offered Joan his hand.

"I got that much… but how?" It wasn't like this was Joan's first time in Fae or anything, Violet occasionally asking Wanda to open a portal for them so they could travel between continents without the need of a vehicle. Of all the times she'd been here, however, she'd never seen a place quite like this.

"No idea." Jaune shook his head, slowly turning to take in their surroundings. "I'm guessing this wasn't an accident, Goodwitch was _trying_ to get us here." That reminded Joan. It had been Glynda… but how had she gotten there? The last she had seen her before, she had followed Ozpin into that elevator shaft. "Joan." Jaune's sudden hard voice caused a bolt of energy to surge through her body and she spun to where her brother was now looking. How they had both missed it until just now she had no idea.

Violet had followed them into Fae.

And she didn't look happy. Their sister was angrily drumming her fingers against the hilt of the katana in control of her body while she also took in their new scenery with a deep scowl. "I should have known." She muttered under her breath, even the smallest noise traveling easily to their ears.

"What are we going to do, Pride?" Jaune called, but to both their surprise it didn't seem to get her attention. So the next time he put a little more edge to his voice. "I thought you wanted to fight?"

This time that did get a reaction, if only a sigh. "I expect better from you, Jaune. Even you have to realize this is a situation where neither of us can act as we please." Then she lifted a hand and pointed at one of the sky rivers. "We'll have to see what S _he_ has to say first."

At first, neither twin could tell what it was she was asking them to to look at. Then at the same time they saw it. How Violet could see something so minuscule was beyond them, as it was nothing more than a small light. Rather, as the light began to get closer they realized it was two.

Traveling along one of the numerous sky rivers were what could only be described as stars. Their light seemed only more radiant and beautiful while being reflected from the interior of the crystal blue water. They were fast too, crossing the distance from near imperceptible to hanging over their heads after only a couple seconds. Once there, the lights stopped, appearing to simply float in place inside the still flowing stream.

The smaller light shivered, its form expanding and then collapsing. Then there was a splash, the star breaking free from the sky river and plummeting towards the ground. The two twins hurried out of the way, bracing their bodies for certain impact. Only to have it never arrive.

Just before touching the ground the light bounced off of thin air, like a bungee cord had caught and pulled it back up. It settled to a stop just mere inches from the surface and then there was a loud pop, the star bursting like a bubble...

And revealing Professor Ozpin.

The Headmaster of Beacon landed on the silver grass with a soft thump, standing up straight and adjusting the buttons of his suit. "I do say, I will never get used to that." The shaded spectacles turned towards the twins, Ozpin giving them a soft smile. "I apologize for the tardiness. Thankfully, it looks like things have not yet begun."

"Of course not." Violet said, pulling Ozpin's attention to her. "I may have been born from the fragment of a human, but I understand much about the accords of Fae. Such things are common knowledge once you've existed long enough to be considered an ancient."

"Quite. I apologize." Ozpin inclined his head towards their sister. "I did not mean to offer insult. While you and I may be familiar with the rules of the land, I am afraid young Jaune and Joan here are otherwise ignorant to their customs. That was all I meant."

Violet stared at him for several moments, Ozpin not once raising his head. Only when she made a grunt that could have been interpreted as consent did he turn his full attention back to the twins. "Now then, I believe some explanations are in order, yes?"

"I'll say." The twins echoed one another, neither one turning in surprise at the already natural occurrence between the two of them.

Ozpin seemed to find the whole thing funny, giving a wry smile and extending a hand as if asking them to wait. "While I would like to be the one to answer all your questions, there is someone far more qualified able to do so who has also come."

"At least tell me what happened to you and Glynda!" Joan interrupted. "You went down to stop Pride from freeing Cinder, but then you just disappeared. Now you're here and Goodwitch is somehow able to open portals to Fae? None of this makes sense."

"Hmm," Ozpin nodded several times to her questions, humming in contemplation. "Please do not misunderstand. Stopping the Fall Maiden from getting free was my priority… however, She has different priorities and I cannot so easily convince Her to go along with the whims of us mortals. It was by Her interference that Glynda temporarily was able to send you both here and that I remain."

"That was a really great way to tell me nothing." Joan quipped. She had more she wanted to say, but stopped when her twin rested a hand on her shoulder, pointing up.

The second ball of light was descending, this one far more elegantly than the one that held Ozpin had. From the inside of that orb an inhuman voice rang out. It was both terribly cruel and utterly lovely. Unlike anything they had ever heard and yet nostalgic enough for them both to instantly picture the same woman. "Enough of this petulant conversation. The two of you are now in the presence of beings far beyond yourselves and you continue to act as if you still stand in Remnant. This is why I shall never understand what those Two Brothers and even my own sister saw in your fleeting race."

The light reached the ground and like the first one, gave a loud pop, sending a flourish of twinkling silver lights to dangle briefly in the air. From the middle of the bubble was a woman so beautiful that She made all those twinkling lights, however, absolutely pale in comparison. At a first glance She appeared to be human, but that also wasn't quite right.

She had all the features of what you expected a human, but everything was just somehow slightly off. Like they were watching a movie with cheap effects and not looking at a real person. To call anything about this woman cheap, however, felt like the greatest insult they could ever level against Her. Rather, there was no way to possibly put Her radiance into words without it coming across as grossly inadequate.

Even so, their human minds tried to categorize it anyways, feeling as if they would go mad if they didn't try to understand what it was they were gazing upon. In trying to do this, there were two things that they couldn't possibly take their focus off of. The first were those emerald green eyes deeper than any forest of Remnant. And the second the cascading violet hair that hung halfway down Her back, flaming red streaks highlighting and accenting it.

"M-mom!?" The two stuttered, their minds only just barely processing that the hair was a reverse of what their mother's had been. The eyes, however, were exactly the same. Many of Her features bore an uncanny resemblance to their mother, in fact, just only if there mother had been… more. That was the only word that felt accurate.

Ozpin cleared his throat, stepping forward from his place to the right of the woman and holding a hand out in introduction. The whole time, his eyes never dared glance in Her direction. "Jaune. Joan. Allow me to introduce you to your mother's twin sister.

"Here, She is known as the Queen of Fae."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Thanks to everyone so far who placed a vote in the poll I put up on my profile. It's been very insightful for me.

In regards to this deal with their mother, I've been trying to set up for it here and there, but it was kind of hard since she's been dead since the near beginning of the story. I also didn't want to give away too much in the omakes, but it's also the reason I set the one between Jaune and his mother as the last one. This is also why I had the whole chapter dedicated to explaining Fae a few chapters back, which I did get quite a few reviews questioning the relevance of. So here's the answer to that. Or maybe it would be better to say this is the first part of the answer for that, as much more is explained next chapter.

Natzo has drawn some more fanart of the sisters, this time just kind of a what-if moment when they all dyed their hair blonde and wore blue contacts to look more like Jaune and Joan. I've of course posted a link to it on my profile page where you can view it if interested.

I've also done a slight touch-up to an earlier chapter in the story. The content for chapter 50 hasn't changed, but I've reworked some of the dialogue of parts of Noir's story to make it flow better. The reason I did was I was referring to that chapter a lot while working on the next few points for this story and I just became unsatisfied with some of the ways the material was presented so I made it feel hopefully a little less robotic. I also added a new omake to that chapter, one about Noir when she was alive so if you're interested in that, you can hop to that chapter. I didn't delete the old omake, as it was the first part to Rouge and Cinder's battle. Instead I just combined those two into one complete part in the following chapter.

Below isn't quite an omake but an outline for what would have been a very long series of omakes/short story about Violet and her team.

This little thing is actually the result of my beta questioning me about the odds of Violet and her team being placed together and how just astronomical that is considering Lily's fighting style is a perfect foil to Violet's Semblance and how utterly important Wanda's Semblance ends up being to the plot.

If such a thought has ever crossed your mind or now that I mention it you think, yeah, that is pretty odd: Then this is for you. This is also important for explaining an adventure Violet's team has alluded to multiple times. It's not an absolutely crucial read or anything but some of the things that I explain next chapter are going to be easier to understand with the context given in this little snippet.

This also kind of assumes you are familiar with my short story, Flower, which is a spin-off of Spectrum about Violet's initiation. Otherwise, I waited until now to share this because I wanted to wait for when I got to the part that Fae became relevant to the plot.

* * *

 _Flower's Paradox_

* * *

During Violet's first year at Beacon and when the Vytal Festival starts, team VLWR chose their first mission (just like in Volume 2 with, RWBY getting Mountain Glenn). The mission they pick is to investigate a string of mysterious disappearances in Mistral. The victims of these disappearances... children from the very orphanage Lily used to live.

And the trained Huntsmen they shadow: Lily's master, a retired Huntsmen and former Beacon Professor.

When they arrive at the village and begin their investigation, Wanda realizes a disconcerting truth. The children aren't simply vanishing, they're getting taken into Fae, an act that would require someone from both sides to accomplish.

Instead of looking for the human culprit, they decide it would be better and faster to get into Fae and find the children first.

Reverse engineering her Semblance and making use of an already weakening link between the worlds, Wanda gets the four of them plus Lily's master into Fae.

(Some important details about Fairies and Fae. The fairies Wanda normally sees are just lesser beings who hang out on the outskirts of the realm. Where they end up traveling is deep Fae where even more powerful and sentient beings exist. Time also passes very different in Fae depending on where you are. Some locations are tied very closely to Remnant, some don't exist there at all. Depending on where you exit and leave, you could end up in a very different location in a very different period of time.

There is a three-layer caste system of Rulers within the Fae. The three rulers of Fae are collectively referred to as Queens, but are known individually as the Mother, Queen, and Lady. The Lady obviously being the lowest class, the Queen the most prominent ruler, and the Mother acts more as an advisor, rarely getting involved. I'm borrowing bits and pieces of all this from fairy lore. This system in particular is straight from The Dresden Files. Anyways, these higher class Fae appear almost human and are highly intelligent, having lived for longer than Remnant has even existed.)

The group meets the Lady first and she's very receptive to them and plays the part of a generous host.

The Queen, who they meet next is less than thrilled by their appearance. This is mostly because of Violet, her niece, and of course Violet realizes some disconcerting truths about her own mother.

The group is suspicious of the Queen and begin to search her lands for the missing children. They end up finding the one to disappear most recently in the dungeons of the Queen's castle and their suspicions are confirmed. Everyone is convinced except Violet.

They bring the child with them to the Fae Lady, instead of the Queen, no longer trusting her and instead hoping to change something with the lower ruler.

However, the child recognizes the Fae Lady as the one that kidnapped her. The Lady, having been revealed as the mastermind, chastises Lily's master for allowing them to bring the kid with them, revealing that the original plan was for them to find the kid's corpse. Lily is devastated to discover her master is the one who's been working for the Fae Lady all along and had been delivering the children to pockets where the Lady was able to abduct them.

Their plan exposed, they then do some classic villain monologuing; their only purpose in stealing the children was in order to lure Violet into Fae and then steal her sword.

They then plan to use the time-altering power of her sword to escalate the Lady's potential and give her the strength to seize Fae from the Queen. However, Violet made it difficult by never dropping her guard and always being wary of them all.

So Lily's Master engages Violet in combat to steal it from her and the Fae Lady distracts the other three members by having some of the previous kidnapped children fight them. Only they're not kids anymore and are full-grown adults.

They had been raised and trained in a part of Fae where time passed much quicker, so to them they had been there for nearly two decades when in Remnant it had only been a couple weeks at most.

Violet and her fight against Lily's Master (I never did name this guy, haha) ends badly and she is seemingly killed and her weapon stolen.

Lily, Wanda, and Rue are defeated and locked up with the rest of the missing children, the ones who refused to betray Lily. They are about the same age as when they were kidnapped, being in a more balanced part of Fae.

Lily is dejected and feels betrayed. Wanda too is devastated by discovering that Fae is not the place she believed it to be. Only Rue still has fight in her. She's so worked-up and pissed, her heightened emotions awaken her silver eye's potential.

In Fae, she wasn't capable of using her Semblance before, because rules of distance and time work different. Now she's able to see those ripples and distortions of the world and her Semblance is essentially even more powerful in Fae than it is in Remnant. She blinks them not out only of their cell but all the way to the Queen's courtroom, bringing with them the kidnapped children. They prove the Lady's betrayal and the Queen readies her armies for war.

Violet wakes up inside an unfamiliar cabin. She meets some strange old Fae and realizes that she's the last and oldest of the Fairy Queens, The Mother. The Fae Mother more or less already knows everything, as she is so old and so powerful she has near omniscience.

She catches Violet up on what's going on outside her cabin and Violet asks her if she's so strong, why doesn't she do anything to stop all this.

In typical Fae-fashion, the Mother is cryptic but basically says that by saving Violet's life once, she's already changed the outcome.

The Fae armies duke it out themselves while the Lady attempts the ritual to increase her power. Lily, Wanda, and Rue fight the grown-children again and win this time.

Violet arrives and interrupts the ritual. She awakens her weapon's true ability, kills Lily's master and then reunites with her team.

The reunited team together engage the Fae Lady and kill her. In a last kind of screw-you, the Fae Lady kicks them out of Fae.

Violet and Wanda wake up separated from Lily and Rue back on Beacon's grounds. They realize things are a little different but can't place what and Wanda also discovers she cannot see fairies nor use her Semblance. They head to their dorm room to see if Lily and Rue went there only to find a completely different team in it.

They get chased out and wander around, even more lost than before when they run into Lily's master. Violet immediately attacks him and she snarls something about having killed him once already. Glynda breaks up the fight, only it's not the same Glynda they know, but she's a student.

They then realize that the pocket of Fae they exited from tossed them into the past.

And without Wanda's Semblance working, have no way to get home. They get arrested for attacking a professor at Beacon (that professor having been Lily's master) and thrown in jail. In that cell, they meet someone they at first mistake for Rue. Only to discover after that it's a teenage version of Rue's mother.

She was thrown in jail for a dangerous Dust experiment that ended up leveling a whole building. While trying to think of a way out, the prison is attacked by a small group of cultists. They break into the cell, with the intention of killing Rue's mother. Violet and Wanda protect her and use the opportunity to flee prison and retrieve their weapons.

Rue's mother (who I also never bother to name) goes with them, begging their protection as she has no skill when it comes to fighting. They reluctantly agree as they can't risk allowing Rue to never be born, but they're unsure if their actions are going to screw with the timeline.

They catch a news report while wandering the streets and see Lily and Rue fleeing in open public from a similar group to the one that just attacked them. They head to them and the whole team is reunited. Obvious tension between Rue and her mother ensue, although her mother is confused and ignorant as to why.

It's revealed by Rue and Lily that the cultists that were after them mistook Rue for her mother and were trying to kill her because of her silver eyes. Whatever the group was, they had some strange vendetta against "silver-eyed warriors" and were attempting to wipe them out.

They also reveal that they had the tablet from Fae that had been meant to use Violet's sword to age the Lady with them, it having come through with them to Remnant. But in the confusion, the anti-silvers (that's what I'm calling them for now) had taken it with them. The four of them decide that their best bet to get home is to steal that tablet back and try to use it.

Doing some good old investigative work (and with help from Rue's mother), they track the group down to Mountain Glenn, which is still in the construction phase and hasn't been abandoned yet. They're hiding in one of the numerous incomplete buildings and are some kind of weird Grimm-worshipping cult who are dedicating themselves to wiping out the Grimm's natural enemies.

VLWR naturally wins the day, gets the tablet back, and ensures Rue's mom will survive.

However, they can't figure out how to work the tablet. Rue's mom then touches it and somehow that activates it, opening a portal to Fae.

The Fae Queen steps out from that portal and offers them her thanks and to bring them back to their own time. They all step through the portal, leaving Rue's mother, and end up in Mountain Glenn in the current day. Only they're inside an active lab with Rue's current-time mother in it.

This is the first time Rue has seen her mother since her company went under and she was accused of embezzling company funds.

Rue's mother reveals that the reason she had been doing so was in order to complete this lab to retrieve VLWR back to their current time. The four girls that had saved her had left quite an impression but when she tried to tell people about it and get support, no one would believe her. So she built everything in secret. Still, she needed to ensure that the members of VLWR actually did form a team.

Which is when someone who believed her came forward. Lily's Master approached Rue's mother and offered to take care of his end.

He retired to the village where Lily's orphanage was and trained her. He also took missions by Wanda's nomad group and told tales of Beacon whenever there, which left an impression on a young Wanda who eventually decided that was what she wanted to do. Rue's mother then ensured her daughter attended Signal and met Violet.

What she didn't count on was that Lily's master was actually doing all this to change his own destiny. He trained Lily specifically in a style Violet would have trouble against, stole the tablet, got in contact with the Fae Lady, and tried to fight and kill Violet himself, remembering her words about how she had been the one to kill him. Which, of course, is what ended up sealing his fate.

Rue and her mother have a sort-of-understanding and then her mother departs, shutting down the lab for good and moving to parts unknown.

The team later find out all the orphanage children had been returned safely, even the older ones, and their mission is considered a success.


	66. The Queen

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _The Queen_

* * *

" _Violet, do you have a moment?"_

 _Fireworks burst in the night sky, the multitude of flashing colors illuminating my eldest daughter's face. She was a gorgeous woman… if she could just smile once in awhile. I suppose in that way she also reminded me of my sister._

 _It was finally the day. One I had been dreading for twenty-five years now. One that started to come into realization the moment my beautiful baby girl had been born into this cruel, ugly world._

 _The two of us stood behind the erected stage in Domremy's town square. On the stage where the rest of Violet's sisters were now putting on an entertaining show. The crowd erupted into cheers, completely blind to the evil of the weapons that were being flaunted for their amusement. Meanwhile, their brother had already left. Silently slipping off into the night to reflect by himself._

" _Mother." Violet's orange eyes looked me up and down, her gaze almost what you would describe as weary. At the very least she still addressed me with some modicum of respect, which was far more than could be said for her father. "Can it wait for later? I'm going to speak with Jaune now."_

 _I smiled. Even if there was no love left for her father, she still had so much for her brother. Sometimes, I worried maybe it was a little too much. Honestly, I don't think Violet was even capable of loving a man other than her brother any more. At the same time I couldn't help but feel that was a good thing._

 _These siblings were going to need all the love for one another they could manage if they were going to survive together from here on out._

" _I'm afraid it's rather important we have this talk now." I didn't mention that Jaune had already left the festivities. If I said something like that, Violet would surely go after him and nothing I could say would be able to stop her. Truth was, it was better he wasn't here to witness the beginning. "I want to tell you a little about myself. Is that okay?"_

 _Violet blinked, the only outward reaction she gave to let me know that my words surprised her. She had always been rather good at keeping a cap on her emotions, provided none of her precious younger siblings was involved at least. "This is… sudden."_

" _I know." Violet had discovered the truth about who I really was seven years ago now. On that fated mission where she encountered my sister. She of course had questions but I had asked her to wait. Surprisingly, she hadn't pushed the point and never brought it back up again either. "Is there a reason you've let me get away without explaining for so long?"_

 _Violet made a soft hum, fingers idly drumming on the hilt of her katana. It was something of a nervous tick she'd developed whenever she reflected on something she found particularly unpleasant or started to feel impatient. "It's because it didn't matter." She answered after several silent seconds deliberation._

" _Oh?" I asked._

" _Whatever you were in the past… or whatever it is you are now, those things don't mean anything to me." My daughter looked me directly in the eyes, one of the few people who could hold my gaze without turning away. "You're my mother. That bastard is my father. Am I an Arc? Am I even completely human? After thinking about those things, I decided that such thoughts don't matter to me. My name is Violet, which you gave to me. That's important. Nothing else before that is."_

 _Ah, what lovely conviction. I couldn't help but admire how strong my eldest daughter was. She was far stronger than me. I was truly blessed to have her gifted to me. Which was what made this whole thing just so much harder._

" _You are human… of that I can assure you." I turned away from Violet, looking at the stage where the rest of my daughters were. "You're all human. Just also a little bit… more."_

" _Fae?" It wasn't really a question, at least not one Violet wasn't already sure the answer of._

" _Fae." I answered all the same. "More accurately, it would be correct to say you have only the small remains of what little power I have left now." I took in a deep breath, preparing myself. Once I continued now, there would be no stepping back from the things that would come. "The truth is… I've given up my immortality. I am almost entirely human now. Just one more little push and I will be completely mortal. Along with all the advantages and weaknesses that come with such a body."_

" _I see." None of this was likely a surprise to my daughter. She had probably put most of it together on her own. Unlike their father, I hadn't aged so much as a single day over the span of twenty-five years. Unlike the Fae, I was unrestricted by the rules and Accords that bound them into inaction. Having witnessed both sides of these things for herself and of course Violet would figure it out. "Should I ask why?"_

" _It was to grant your father's deepest, most heartfelt desire." My face heat up and no doubt I started to blush as a bashful smile crossed my face. In contrast, Violet's mouth curled in disdain, a small flicker of irritation lighting her eyes. It broke my heart to see her hate a man I came to love so much I gave up my own immortality for. A man that had gifted me Violet and seven other wonderful children. "You're wrong about him, you know?" I asked, voice only just loud enough to be heard over the crowd in the distance._

" _Which part, exactly?" Violet asked, fingers drumming more violently against the hilt of the katana than before. "Was it when he willingly maimed Jaune's hands that I'm misunderstanding? Or knowingly sacrificed his younger brother? What part of such a man do you find so endearing that you'd want to grant his wish? I'm actually curious."_

" _I know it's hard to understand." My soft, sad voice stood in stark contrast to Violet's fierce, angry one. "When I met your father, no one wanted more than him to put an end to the practice of the swords. He was so very much like you then. He didn't want to see his younger brother die to the glyphs like his own father. He hated this situation just as much as you."_

" _That only makes it worse." Violet's own voice soften, if only a little. For a second, I thought maybe she actually looked sympathetic. "If he really felt that way, then why did he give us the swords? Why didn't he ask his brother to destroy them?"_

" _Why haven't you?" For the first time since she was a little girl, I saw Violet physically recoil from my words. "It's hard, isn't it? Change, that is. Humans and Fae alike are both are so terrified of it. For good reason. By wishing something to change, you're also wishing for the present to be destroyed. And that's something you couldn't do. No matter what Jaune is now, you couldn't possibly bring yourself to destroy him. Everything you all know would be completely different. Jaune, you, and all your sisters. The thing is, nobody knows if that change is for the better until after the old is already gone. And so you're scared. There's nothing wrong with that._

" _I'm scared too." My voice trembled with that last sentence._

 _Something Violet noticed. "Mother?" She took a step closer to me, resting a hand on my elbow. "What's wrong, what are you going to do?" She realized already that something drastic was about to happen, a small amount of panic leaking into her voice. "You're… not going to hurt Jaune, are you?"_

 _Tears rolled down my cheeks and I closed the distance between myself and my daughter, wrapping her in a tight hug. She felt so strong, but also so very guarded. Trust had never come easy to her. Least of all to her parents, who truly didn't deserve it. "I'm sorry, Violet. I'm so sorry. I love you all so much." I whispered into her ear, planting a kiss on the side of her head._

 _There was so much more I wanted to say. So much more I wanted to do. I never wanted to let go of my daughter. I wanted to go speak with my other daughters. I wanted to go shopping with my son. Have dinner with my husband. If I didn't do this now, however, I would never have the strength to do it ever. I had put this off for far longer than I intended already as it was._

 _I just loved them all so much and never wanted to leave them. It was funny, for as long as I had been immortal I never found anything that really made me want to live. Now that I was mortal, however, I wanted to live forever. What a contradiction. It was because of that contradiction I had to act._

 _It was finally time to free my husband and children from this long, dark spiral that twisted their family for over a thousand years._

 _Deep inside myself, I reached for the remaining shards of my Fae magic. The last trace of my immortality. If that disappeared, I would die. As a human being, I would be over tens of thousands of years old. Which meant for me, living as a pure mortal had been impossible from the beginning._

 _Once I had that magic, I reached outwards. My Aura came into contact with the Ambience of the katana. It was a sick, malignant personality and connected to it were six other equally warped fragments of a once human soul. By triggering a reaction in one, it would awaken them all. And so…_

 _I breathed life into those weapons at the cost of my own._

Jaune and his twin collapsed to their knees, those final memories of their mother assaulting their minds like a rapid-fire flash of images being uploaded directly into their senses all at once.

Both of them gasped for breath, holding their heads as mind-searing headaches threatened to break them. The pain only lasted a second, leaving the two to try and sort the short, albeit impactful final moments of their mother's life.

"W-What the Hell is this?" Still gripping his head, Jaune's blue eyes darted up to look into the deep, forest green of the Fae Queen. He only held that gaze for a moment before he felt his grip on reality slipping, mind being transported to some deeper plane of existence beyond his understanding.

There were endless woods, infinite oceans, and measureless deserts. A tree in the middle of these never-ending landscapes that reached into heaven itself, branches stretching across the whole of Fae, too high to be observed from the surface. Located beneath one of these branches was the boundless plain of silver Jaune's physical body resided in.

With no small amount of effort, he tore his gaze away from Her before he became lost further in these visions, unable to return by his own strength.

It was better this way. Looking at Her… at this creature, reminded him too much of his mother. He had been trying so hard to push her to the back of his mind since this whole thing started. It was easier than reflecting on the death of a woman he thought until now had been nothing but innocent in all this. Only to now discover… she had been the trigger.

"Was the information too much for the human part of your mind?" The Queen asked.

No, you couldn't call Her tone of voice questioning. It was more like She demanded him to speak. The very air vibrated when She spoke, reacting to the power of Her words. He had no doubt, if She told the wind, land, or water to do something, it would comply.

The human part of Jaune also felt the compulsion to respond. That was all it was. Just a compulsion, not something he need do.

He wasn't entirely human, however.

He was also Fae.

And as small as it was, the Fae blood flowing through him could not refuse the order of its Queen.

It wasn't a compulsion, but a _need_ to answer Her question.

To not answer was the same as to die.

"This isn't what Noir told me." He spit out without even meaning to say those words. His voice itself had a mind of its own, just seeking to appease The Queen. Once he started, he couldn't stop. "She said the swords had been capable of doing this on their own. They just needed to be wielded together and could have done it at any time. That they waited until our family was gathered so they could kill as many as they could at once. This is… this has gotta be some kind of lie. How can you even possibly show us this?"

Pride scoffed. "Even without me still a part of her, that woman had quite the audacity." Their sister stood not more than ten feet from them. Unlike the twins, she stared at The Queen without averting her eyes. Rather, it would be more accurate to say she was glaring with unbridled hostility. "We Swords developed consciousness centuries ago. Even for all the power we got, we were still weapons with very strictly outlined capabilities. Awakening was never something we could do without outside help."

"Humans always seek the answer that gives them the most peace." The Queen continued immediately when Pride stopped. "Noir's answer made you feel absolved because it removed liability from anyone but the fragments. It should have been obvious from the beginning this was not something a weapon could do by itself, but because that answer did not set within your accepted beliefs, you rejected it out of hand."

"What proof do we have that this is true!?" Joan like him tried to look at The Queen, but after only a couple seconds also was forced to turn away, her blue eyes locking with Jaune's. He saw in her the same confusion, horror, and disbelief that gripped him. This was something they did not want to accept. Something they _couldn't_ accept.

"Ozpin." The Queen simply stated that one name. The headmaster of Beacon stood next to the Queen with his head bowed, as if waiting to be called on. Now that he had, he stepped forward and smiled down at the twins with something that looked like pity.

"As I stated, The Queen is your mother's twin sister." Ozpin gestured to the indescribably beautiful creature next to him. "Put another way, she was The Queen's replacement."

"Replacement?" Jaune and Joan asked together. They were twins too, just like their mother and this… entity. All of their lives they never thought of one another as a replacement for the other. It was unimaginable.

"There are three Queens of ranking order here in Fae." Ozpin held up three fingers of his right hand. "Three is a very important number here in Fae. Balance cannot be maintained without it and the whole realm would collapse. The Queens are normally immortal, but there are exceptions." He gestured to Violet. "Your Eldest sister proved as much seven years ago now.

"If one of the Queens is to die, that power is immediately transferred to the closest, most compatible host. All in order to protect the balance. When Violet struck down the youngest Queen, that power shifted to a new host. And in case anything should happen to the Queen we are now in the presence of, Her power was supposed to go to your mother.

"They share a connection, the two, one so powerful She can see your mother's memories as if her own. And if She so wishes, She can share those memories with any Fae She desires. You are only able to receive the connection because of your mother's blood. I do not know what She showed you, but the Fae are not able to lie directly. They can deceive through word-play, but memories to them are absolute truth. Not even The Queen could tamper with them."

"My sister abandoned her duty." Ozpin went silent, the Queen speaking for Herself now. The whole time She spoke, Her tone didn't change in the slightest. It permeated throughout the whole air, moving through every individual molecule, like She was shouting with every breath She took, but at that same time appearing unnaturally emotionless.

This time was slightly different. It was still emotionless yet it wasn't. They could not perceive the change with their ears but felt it in their bodies. The weather too seemed to feel this change, the sky darkening and wind becoming more powerful.

"All for what? The fleeting wish of some man? For that she gave up her immortality and ultimately her life? I cannot understand it." Then the weather reverted back to normal, sky returning to blue and wind returning to a gentle breeze that only lightly tousled the silver grass. "However, my sister made a choice and now by the will of the Accords I must play my part. So I have offered you the truth, along with all the prices that truth comes with."

Jaune and Joan continued to hold one another's gaze, the two of them trying to come to grips with everything they had been told and been revealed. There were so many things they still didn't understand. Jaune supposed he had to organize things from the beginning.

Their mother had met their father over twenty-five years ago now. At the time, their father had been the wielder of Crocea Mors like Joan after him. Like Violet, he hated the system of passing down the swords and glyphs but also didn't know how properly to change it. Or maybe it was more accurate to say he was too scared to start that change. So their mother decided to fulfill that wish for him.

"Did Dad know what Mom was planning?" Joan was following the same train of thought as him and yet still thought to ask a question he hadn't even considered.

The Queen answered without delay. "Your father never knew of your mother's true origins. Or her intentions. I could show you their first encounter if you so wish."

"No!" They shouted together. While they were certainly curious about such a meeting, they had heard the story often enough to picture it themselves and didn't want to go through the hell of having memories shoved into their heads again.

"Why…" Jaune spoke slowly, still thinking how he wanted to word his question. "Did Mom have to give up her immortality to help Dad? Wouldn't it have been better to do so as a Fae?"

"I already told you. Your mother made a _choice_." The Queen's voice was still emotionless, but there was almost a sense of exasperation coming from Her now too.

"Allow me." Ozpin waited a second for The Queen to nod Her assent before continuing. "Choice is a strictly mortal concept. A human one. Fae are not able to make choices of their own will or desire. Everything they do is very strictly dictated by an old set of rules and regulations known only as The Accords. So long as they act within those rules they have some freedoms and most of their actions are by interpreting those rules as loosely as possible. Some points are hard-fast however, and to break them strips you of your immortality.

"So when you mother made a choice to grant a wish for your father free of any kind of equivalent exchange, she gave up her immortality. Even so, your mother was the replacement for The Queen and as such had a vast amount of power. It took nearly thirty years for that power to expunge."

Their confusion on the topic clear, the Queen once more continued. "During that time, she manipulated probability numerous times to ensure you children would be born with a fragment of her power. It was no accident you were born in the order you were or with the gifts you have. Everything was part of my sister's carefully crafted plan that started with her choice."

"If it was so carefully crafted," Jaune growled, trying to glare at the Queen but only succeeding in looking as high as Her waist. "Then why did things go to absolute hell the way they did? Thousands of people are dead. Hundreds of them from the same night she poked the weapons with her magical fairy stick. Not to mention Dad. He's dead too. Isn't that a weird way to grant his wish?"

"I cannot bother to understand human politics the way your Mother did. She was always so much more interested in you than me." The Queen glanced once again at Ozpin and for the first time Jaune found their relationship curious.

Ozpin cleared his throat and tapped his cane against the ground several times, making soft thunks. "Hmm, how to say this?" He pondered aloud. "Ah, I know. The name of the swords. Collectively."

"The Seven Sacred Arc Swords." Jaune and Joan answered together.

"Yes, exactly." Ozpin nodded. "However, despite being called that, did you know they were not the property of the Arc's, but of the Kingdom of Vale?"

That… was actually something Jaune had not known. He had never even considered that the swords might not actually belong to their family.

"Those seven swords were actually classified as weapons of mass destruction, necessary to keep the peace and the wielders were expected to answer the call to war. Many even thought of their existence as something that deterred war as other Kingdoms were hesitate to fight Vale while we had the weapons.

"The Arcs were allowed to hold onto them because throughout history, only you had been successfully compatible with them. However, Vale and the other Kingdoms had a very vested interest in ensuring that there were always several in circulation at a time. So then, what do you think would happen if one day out of the blue, one of you decided that the swords were evil or no longer necessary and just started destroying them with the glyphs without the Kingdom's approval?"

"That's-" Joan opened her mouth and snapped it shut, blue eyes widening as she realized the same truth as Jaune.

"Precisely." Ozpin extended a single finger. "You'd be tried and likely executed for treason. The media would drag your family's name through the mud and you would have been painted as villains that destroyed weapons of peace. And for what? So one more person every generation didn't have to suffer the way Jaune did? The world would have denounced you all as selfish cowards. Humanity had simply become too reliant on the swords to just accept their destruction, especially if the only cost was one person every couple decades whose name they didn't even know."

"So what?" Jaune clenched his hands until the pain from the scars flared up and they began to spasm. "We were screwed no matter which way things went? If that was the case, there's even more reason for others to not have gotten mixed up in all this."

"You really don't get it." Pride sighed, shaking her head and causing Violet's ponytail to wave from side to side. "Those humans who would gladly sacrifice you all without a second thought, just content to hide behind their false sense of security? They didn't deserve to be saved. It disgust me just to look at them. That's why they died and that's why I played along with Gluttony's little revenge scheme against Noir's descendants. Humanity as a whole deserved the lesson we taught them."

"While I disagree with the way Pride words things," Ozpin adjusted his glasses and gave the katana a disdainful glance. "She does pose somewhat of an interesting point. Legally speaking, it may now be possible to blame things on the swords and exonerate your family of any misdeed. Which would not have been possible if the world wasn't ready to accept the swords not as good, but evil."

"You think we care about legal justice right now?" Joan reached up and clenched the cloth of her Beacon uniform on her chest. " _We_ have to live with what we did. _All_ _eight_ of us have to live with the fact that so many people have been killed, many of them directly by us. Did mom really think our dad wanted things to end with the swords so badly that innocents would have to die? That he would have to leave us to deal with this?"

"You humans continue to surprise me with how short-sighted you are." The Queen took several steps towards them, the closer She came and the more the air seemed to hum with energy all around them. "It is even more perplexing considering how short your lives already are. You look only at your father's last moments and deem everything my sister did to him tragic based on that alone. So let me pose this question to you.

"Did she not give him twenty-five years filled with pure bliss? She, one of the most beautiful beings in existence, blessed him with her body, heart and soul. And then produced for him eight children to raise, love, and take pride in. And in the end he was able to pass knowing you would fulfill his dream for him, one he had given up on, thinking until that moment it impossible. Is that not the ultimate happiness for a human man?"

Was that true happiness? Jaune couldn't help but wonder as one of those so called human men. If he was going to die in twenty-five years, would he be happy knowing that his children had the biggest trial of their life ahead of them? As someone not yet a father, it wasn't an answer he could see.

"I can't speak for the rest of his life." Pride glanced upwards, eyes lingering on one of the floating islands. "But when I took his life, his last words were to thank me. He knew what was going to happen next and I do not think he passed with any regrets. Truly, you humans continue to confuse me."

That was what Pride said, but Jaune honestly found her the confusing one right now. "You're being surprising compassionate for one of the swords. I thought you would be more eager to fight than this. You don't find this whole thing annoying?"

Violet's orange eyes flashed with something too fast for Jaune to recognize. "Of course this is irritating. You gain nothing from hearing all this information. What you know and what you didn't know doesn't change that you and I will still fight. I was the one your mother began to reaction with and when she did that, she unintentionally gave me the knowledge of many things, including The Fae Accords. It is why I know until The Queen is satisfied with this little talk, I cannot act. So then would it not be better for me to speed this along so we can finally decide this once and for all?"

"I must say." The Queen looked Violet up and down as if truly seeing her for the first time. "For the product of a human, you have truly come a long ways. I almost dare say I rather enjoy you. Certainly more so than these two offspring my sister couldn't be bothered to instruct properly."

Violet smiled back and inclined her head ever so slightly. "Not enough to take my side in this conflict, however." If the sword was hoping for some kind of reaction to give away the Queen's true feelings, she got none.

"No. My personal feelings cannot change anything. I owe my sister three favors and by her wishes, she's passed those onto her son. The first was to summon him here where his power is stronger. The second was to give him the truth. And the third has not yet come to pass."

"And her?" Pride gestured vaguely at Joan. "She's not the glyph bearer and from the sounds of things, her mother didn't pass any favors onto her."

The Queen smiled almost so imperceptibly you might have missed it if not for the slight change in weather, the sky becoming even more blue and wind giving a sudden gust. "She and he are of the same womb, having shared their very existence with one another since the very moment of their conception. She has every right to be permitted to stand by his side as he does hers. Together, the two are one, in the same way I was once one with my twin sister."

Violet gave a short scoff. "Typical Fae. Always finding loopholes for those rules that you say you care so much about." Jaune might have thought she was irritated, if not for the almost hungry anticipation that practically radiated off her.

He still wasn't sure how much he agreed with all this new information, but Pride was right about one thing. It didn't change anything that was about to happen. No matter what, he still had to save his eldest sister and put an end to this once and for all.

"Why did you wait until now to bring me here and explain all this?" That was the only thing that still didn't really make sense to him. Even as all-powerful as The Queen was, She couldn't have known he was going to survive up until this point or that Pride was going to be the last sword. There were just too many coincidences and things that had to go right for them to reach this point.

"I waited because you had not yet earned the right to stand before me. Only if you had been capable of making it this far did I owe you the honor my sister was foolish enough to bestow upon you. Pride was not a sword that would fall any sooner than last. That is all."

Well that was far more simple than he thought it had to be. She just didn't care if he had died or not before now. No matter what happened on Remnant, it didn't seem like it was going to upset the balance here in Fae too much if at all. She hadn't called upon him sooner because so long as there was more than one sword, She had no obligation to act on Her promise. Which meant She was only here now because The Accords literally demanded She be.

He looked back at his twin and gave a small, shaky smile. She had yet to look at him until he called out to her "Well, should we do this?" The stage was set and their opponent was ready.

Joan gave a rocky breath and nodded, turning to glance up at Ozpin who still stood with his head bowed by The Queen's side. "You're not going to help us, I take it?"

"I am here as an emissary for The Queen." Ozpin shook his head, not looking any happier about it then they felt. "Which means any actions by me reflect on Her. I cannot assist you in this fight." That was to be expected. Everything in Fae got really convoluted when trying to navigate The Accords, the contents of which Jaune didn't even know. Even if The Queen wanted to, She couldn't freely help them. It was lucky She was giving them this much, which might have gone to show how highly She thought of Her twin sister considering how lowly She thought of them.

"Mom loved us, Joan." Jaune reached forward, resting a hand overtop his twins. She squeezed back almost immediately. "I know everything right now is really screwed up… but I just can't think about our mom and not remember how much she loved us. Everything she ever did always showed that. You know that… right?" It was still hard to accept, but he couldn't possibly think ill of the woman who raised him.

"Of course I know." Her blue eyes shined brightly with tears that wouldn't fall. "Mom loved us and believed in us. She wouldn't have done this if she didn't think we could do it. That doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt. It hurts so freaking much."

That was true. Their mother knew this was going to hurt them more than anything they had ever experienced before. But she also knew that they could all pull through this pain together. This wasn't some master plan where she'd plotted out every single step of the way. Rather, she just believed them to be able to get through it after she had started it. If she hadn't believed they could, she wouldn't have done it in the first place. That was her love.

Jaune got to his feet, pulling Joan up with him and together they turned to face their eldest sister.

"Finally," Pride's evil smile looked almost too natural on Violet's face, which was a disconcerting thought for both twins.

Joan reached for her hip and Jaune noticed for the first time that Pyrrha's weapon had been modified. The golden discus that had once been Akouo was collapsed into a sheath, just like how the shield of Crocea Mors had been. When she pulled the red sword from that sheath, it popped out into its normal form. However, the sword looked like it could no longer transform into a rifle or lance, now simply a blade his sister was familiar with.

"Ruby helped me." Joan flashed him a smile, holding up the red blade and pointing it right at Violet. "Rouge and Autumn didn't run from the type of weapon they used to wield so I couldn't either. Besides, Pyrrha seemed happy that I was willing to make the weapon my own."

Jaune nodded and returned her smile. "I'm happy too." He then turned back to Violet. "Let's do this." It wasn't the way he wanted it to eventually happen. However, he could honestly say from the bottom of his heart.

He was glad his final fight was by his twin's side.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Here we are. The full truth about Jaune's mother and her involvement. I feel like all of this chapter was trying (and probably failing) to justify what she did and make her not sound like a villain, haha. It probably doesn't help that her defense was coming from people who aren't human to begin with and so don't have the same set of values as we will. I'll leave it to you to decide what you think about her and her actions.

Anyways, no more distractions after this. The fight against the last sword begins in earnest next chapter.

Like with the last chapter, I'm posting something here that isn't quite an omake. This is a timeline that pretty much puts everything that happened before chapter two of the story into order. Very little of it is actually new information. It's just all a little more organized and in one place in case you wanted a refresher or were interested in the details in a chronological sense. I waited until now because it has information too only just revealed this chapter, but I've been using this for a while to keep my facts straight.

* * *

 _Spectrum Timeline_

* * *

Noir Arc is born, the youngest child and only girl in a family with five brothers. Her mother passes away during her birth.

She grows up in a small village, life a constant struggle against Grimm.

At ten years old her Aura is unlocked and she awakens her Semblance: Alchemy.

For one year she arms her village with this Semblance, but they are almost wiped out anyways. A mysterious man from a far away village arrives and saves them, wielding a powerful Living Weapon that can spit fire. Noir becomes interested in the creation of Living Weapons and begins to research them.

At fourteen years old, she creates her first weapon by separating from her Lust. The sword is even stronger than the one they have been saved with and she gifts it to their father.

Over the next year with the help of the weapon, their village undergoes massive expansion. To keep up with the increasing demand, Noir parts with her Sloth at fifteen years old. She keeps the dagger for herself and only seldom wields it.

At seventeen, Noir finishes the creation of all Seven Swords and loses her Semblance. She names them all after the Seven Deadly Sins corresponding to the fragment of her soul she used to create the weapon. Thanks to the protection of the swords, they establish trade with nearby villages and soon a network is created. Her brothers begin families of their own but Noir never consummates, lacking such desires without her sins.

At nineteen years old, the man who saved them returns. Their society has also grown larger over the years and was now too big to be protected with only the Living Weapons they had. He demands compensation for what he did eight years ago in the form of three of the swords. Her family refuses. Tensions between the two communities escalate.

At twenty years old, Noir's father is assassinated and sword stolen. Her brothers swear revenge and move to claim it. Noir marks herself with the shatter glyphs using Sloth. She then heads after her brothers. She arrives at the neighboring society to find it destroyed. Her brothers kill their father's murderer and take the sword back. When Noir reveals her intentions to destroy the swords, the youngest brother kills her too using Gluttony.

The brothers then begin to bicker over which of their families should get the two left-over swords. Those bickers eventually transform into all out war. Over the next ten years, a five-way war between the brothers continues to escalate. The villages they used to protect are divided between them and used as soldiers on the promise that if they perform well they can be recognized into the family and thus have a chance at wielding one of the swords. Despite this, all seven swords are never compatible at a single time, leaving at most six swords active at any giving time during the war.

The fifth brother and his entire family and village is wiped out first. The fourth brother, fearing the same, gives up his sword to the eldest and escapes with his family to parts unknown. The eldest brother's family is then ambushed by the second and third who form a temporary truce to wipe them out. The eldest brother's eldest son, Noah, escapes this purge and takes Sloth with him.

He returns five years later at eighteen years old. The war has stalemated between the second and third brothers at this point. He takes up Sloth and marks himself with the glyphs, threatening to destroy the swords if the family war does not end. Unlike with Noir, it works because the brothers and their families are both exhausted and looking for a reason to agree to a cease-fire. So peace between the remaining two families is begrudgingly established.

Seven years later, Noah has a son. When that son turns five years old, he marks him with the glyphs.

Five years later, Noah dies and the curse of the glyphs is discovered. Taking advantage of the situation, the family of the second eldest brother wipes out the other, leaving only them left to pass on the sword to their descendents. They take in Noah's son and continue to brand glyph bearers to prevent themselves from betraying one another the same way they betrayed their own family.

A thousand years pass.

Noir's soul watches silently everything that happens, learning to exist inside the sword that killed her. History is forgotten as the remaining family tries to bury the truth of the wars and way they came to acquire the swords. During this time, the kingdoms are established and the Arc Swords continue to stay with the descendents of the second eldest brother. Noah's descendents, considered a lowly branch family, are continually marked as the glyph bearers. The swords are also renamed to their current titles and they gain sentience but are unable to do anything other than watch, just like their creator.

The Great War starts. The Arcs at this point have not pledged themselves to any kingdom. The kingdoms begin to pressure the Arcs to side with them. Sensing that they might become the target of Kingdom assassins in order to gain the swords, the Arcs for the first time pass swords onto Noah's descendents to try and bolster the number in circulation.

Jaune's great-great-grandfather and the brother of the current glyph bearer receives Crocea Mors/Wrath. He uses it to murder all the descendents of the second eldest brother's lineage and takes all the swords, ensuring the swords and glyphs both belong to only his branch of the family.

He then allies with Vale and Vacuo in the War on the agreement the swords are only used to protect their soldiers from Grimm. Regardless, this changes the flow of the war and Vale/Vacuo win. The swords become property of the kingdom of Vale in exchange for land to live on, the agreement that Arc descendents get first chance at the swords and that so long as three swords are in circulation at any time the kingdom will not take them.

With the swords acting as a powerful deterrent under the control of Vale, War is continually prevented. A long peace is established and the Arcs become regarded as heroes, the swords gaining world-wide recognition as the biggest contributors to the peace.

During this peace, Jaune's father is born the eldest of three and the son to the current glyph bearer.

When he is twelve years old, one of his uncles and wielder of Wrath dies, leaving only Gluttony and Sloth still in circulation. He takes up Wrath to keep the balance of three swords.

At thirteen, his younger brother becomes the wielder of Pride. That same night his youngest brother is marked the new glyph bearer, only eight years old.

When their father dies five years later, he comes to resent the system and vows to change it.

At twenty years old he seeks out Vale's council to allow him to have his brother destroy at least the three swords not currently in circulation. His two uncles (and other wielders of the swords) are also on the council so long as they continue to wield a sword. They deny his request and threaten to brand him a traitor and kill his brothers under the same crime if he ever suggests it again.

Five years later on a mission in Mistral, he slays a Grimm Dragon and saves the woman who would become his wife. He doesn't know she is actually the replacement for the Queen of Fae, an immortal race from a different dimension. She prompts him to reveal his deepest desire and asks him if it was something he would give his life for. He answers in a heartbeat.

She gives up her immortality and a year later blesses him with his first daughter, Violet.

Two years later and Amethyst is born.

One year later Ciel.

A year after that Olivia.

Then the next year and Violet becomes the wielder of Pride, taking it from her uncle. He dies not even a full year later, continuing to do Huntsmen missions even without the sword. Violet's father later discovers this is because his own uncles forced him into continuing to do missions.

Joan and Jaune are born, Jaune the only son so far. That same year and Amethyst becomes the wielder of Gluttony, taking it from one of the council members and effectively removing him from power.

The year after that Autumn is born and Ciel becomes Sloth's wielder, doing the same to the other council member. Their father is promoted to the council and he uses his power to force his uncles to go on missions where they eventually perish, the same way as what they did to his brother.

He comes to regret the decision he made soon after, realizing he became just as twisted as the family he hated. He completely loses sight of the goal he once had, resigns from the council and goes back to doing Huntsmen missions himself.

That same year and Rouge is born. His wife never forgot and had been placing her waning power into all their children, resulting in their unusual hair color and powerful Semblances. Olivia also becomes the wielder of a Envy and at this time Violet's raw natural talent is beginning to become obvious, leaving many to speculate she'll be the strongest Arc born in over a century.

Three years later and Joan becomes the wielder of Wrath and their father retires. Jaune, still the only son, is not compatible with either of the last two swords.

The next year Autumn becomes the wielder of Greed.

The year after Rouge becomes the wielder of the last sword, making it the first time since Noir and her brothers that all seven have been wielded at once. That same night, Jaune's father marks his hands with the glyphs, once again repeating the cycle he'd accepted himself to become a part of. Violet witnesses the act and comes to resent both her father and the system in the same way he once had.

Five years later, Violet goes to Beacon Academy and meets Lily, Wanda, and Rue. On their first mission together with an assigned Huntsmen, it leads them into Fae where Violet discovers the truth of her mother's origins. That same year, their remaining uncle dies and Violet now discovers the truth of the glyph bearers too. She vows once again, along with Amethyst to break the cycle.

Two years later and Amethyst begins attending Beacon and she meets Allegretta who later becomes her lover. Violet is now in her third year.

A year after and Ciel begins attending, Amethyst now in her second year and Violet in her last.

Violet graduates and her team splits up on good terms, Wanda returning to her tribe and Rue going with her. Violet and Lily go on missions as a two-man cell, the strength of Violet and her sword quickly spreading throughout the world. Olivia begins attending Beacon. Ciel is in her second year and Amethyst her third.

During Amethyst's graduation exam, Allegretta is mortally wounded and Amethyst mercy kills her, causing her other two teammates to resent her. Without a team, Amethyst joins Violet and Lily as their third member. With two swords now on the same team, the swords and both sisters become even more famous as they tackle increasingly impossible missions without fail.

Ciel graduates the next year and joins them as their fourth teammate, her team no longer wanting anything to do with her due to a misunderstanding that nearly tore them apart. The only person she could call a friend from Beacon was Glynda who she continues to hang out with when not on missions.

Olivia is in her third year and does not get along with her team, three faunus with increasingly radical ideas bordering on line with the growing White Fang terrorism. They view Olivia being their leader as a slight against them. Glynda, as a favor to Ciel, intervenes and sets Olivia up to start tutoring CFVY. The group hit it off and become close friends.

Rouge, Autumn, and Joan are all attending Signal at this time. Rouge and Ruby have become friends, but Autumn and Joan try not to call any attention to themselves and spend most of their time alone, both of them traumatized by what's happened to Amethyst, Ciel, and Olivia in regards to their teams.

The next year and Joan graduates to Beacon. She becomes friends with Ruby, neither knowing the other knows Rouge. She also becomes leader of her team and forms a close bond with them. The bullying incident with Cardin happens and is resolved, Joan earning his and his team's respect.

Ruby's team meanwhile begins investigating the White Fang at Blake's insistence. After their encounter with Roman in the Paladin, Joan becomes concerned enough to ask Violet to look into it. Violet approaches Ozpin who decides to bring her into the fold, revealing everything about the Maidens.

Violet urges him to send her on the mission, so he pulls some strings, setting JNPR to shadow her on a mission to Mountain Glenn with the information acquired by RWBY. At Mountain Glenn, Violet and JNPR apprehend Torchwick and prevent the Breach.

The Vytal Festival begins but Violet is still uneasy. So she has Amethyst and Ciel accompany her to the tournament to patrol it. Meanwhile, she has Lily infiltrate the White Fang to see if she can uncover their movements. Lily is successful and relays their strategies to Violet.

Joan and Penny fight in the finals of the tournament when Cinder begins her plan. Violet was already prepared for it and along with Ciel and Amethyst, manage to bring casualties to a minimum and prevent the Grimm incursion. Cinder retreats back to Mistral and Neo breaks Roman out during the brief skirmish that did happen.

Violet gathers the rest of her sisters and they drive the White Fang out of Vale and its colonies, culminating in their first joint mission together at Kessel where they kill Roman once and for all. After that mission, Violet asks Lily to remain at Kessel and reform the former White Fang recruits to be better than their previous protectors.

Violet and her sisters than move onto Mistral and eventually the trail leads them to Cinder and Adam. During the final battle, Amber's body fails and Cinder becomes the complete Fall Maiden. Rouge defeats her, as her Semblance is a perfect match against the Maiden.

Cinder is taken into custody and secretly placed below Beacon in the same system that had been keeping Amber alive, only Violet knowing the truth among her sisters.

The Arc sisters are renowned the world over as heroes and credited with preventing the closest thing to an actual war Remnant had seen since the one their great-great-grandfather had participated in.

Olivia graduates from Beacon soon after and all the sisters return home for the celebration to honor them. There the sisters are reunited with their lone brother, who the world doesn't even know exists.


	67. The Twins vs Violet Part I

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _The Twins vs Violet (Part I)_

* * *

The Realm of Fae rarely saw the likes of battle or war.

They weren't something outright restricted by The Accords, the unwritten doctrine that catalogued every law of the land, but in order to navigate the Accords deftly enough to be capable of such actions was a feat rarely accomplished by the Fae. Only the oldest and wisest would be capable of it and usually they had no interest in such trivialities.

The Queen's sister had no such respect for The Accords. She had gone so far as to give up her immortality to go against them and now the direct result of her actions had led to her own children about to do battle in this sacred land.

It was not a price The Queen wanted to pay, but one she had too. She was bound by her debt to her sister, and by extension to her lone-born son and his twin. Like it or not, they too were Fae. Even if only partially.

Every ripple and every adjustment was something The Queen felt with her whole body. How could She not? She was called Fae. Not because She lived in Fae, but because She _was_ Fae. Every shift in the realm was a shift to her very being. She could see and feel every change, including that of her two nieces and one nephew.

Joan Arc looked to their terrain, trying to determine the best use of the land and how to make it suit them in battle. It wasn't going to be an easy task. The great plains were more vast than all the landmasses of Remnant stuck together. They stretched like an endless ocean, infinitely flat and seemingly without change. Soft, cool wind jostled the silver blades of grass, every single one uniform down to the smallest measurable unit of length.

The only changing constant was in the sky above their heads. Floating patches of earth rolled like clouds, some of those islands just big enough only for one person, others so large that entire castles could be erected upon them. The other shifting force were the sky rivers, tunnels of flowing water that occasionally sprayed bursts down like a light drizzle upon them. Those rivers every so often bent and weaved like a snake slithering across the sky.

She would find no benefit to these unreachable landmasses or flowing rivers at this stage in the battle. While she reached this conclusion, her twin, Jaune Arc, studied their enemy and themselves.

The twins had yet to have taken any battle damage. The wraps covering his hands were tightly raveled halfway up his forearm. His orange shirt and blue shorts that had once been damp with Sloth's melted ice was completely dry and he'd suffered no injury or even truly exerted himself in the last two battles.

Joan hadn't even been involved in a single conflict yet. Her Beacon uniform was without wrinkle. The brown jacket and red checkered skirt looked like it had just been washed yesterday, freshly ironed even. The newly modified sword and shield given to her by her partner had not seen battle yet and so was unchipped and unscratched. The shield, formerly known as Akouo had been upgraded to fold into a sheath, and could still expand into a golden discus. The sword, formerly known as Milo, was now just that, a sword. Its red blade gleamed like blood it had not yet struck. Together, the two were now called under one new name, Milo β.

The two stood side by side, their sky blue eyes shining with identical resolve. Aside from their clothes, it was sometimes hard to tell the difference between them. Joan's golden shoulder length hair was messy in almost the same way as his scraggly locks. He was taller than her, shoulders more broad. Jaune's body had become more muscular whereas Joan's had filled out in different ways. When battle startled, it hardly seemed like those details would make much of a difference.

If you could say they were unmarked by battle, the same could also be said for their enemy.

Violet Arc- No, it was more correct to call her Pride. The last and most powerful fragment of Noir Arc's shattered soul. She was merely using Violet's body as a vessel for her desires. Still, it would be remiss to say she was powerful all on her own. It was because she had perfectly incorporated Violet's power that she had become as formidable as she now was.

Their eldest sister had been every bit as dangerous as she had become beautiful. That long, silky hair the same color of her namesake and piercing orange eyes were enough to give any man and many woman pause. As if to show off her invincibility, she always wore a simple white t-shirt, one that never became stained with perspiration, blood, or the mud of battles. A tactic that had terrified many foes into submission before the battle could even begin.

Not that the battle would have lasted long if they had been foolish enough to try. Violet's Semblance was beyond superb. It was an ability born from her own fears and weaknesses, but it was fueled and strengthened to the point that it was because Violet had been born first. While still trying to understand how to properly pass on her Fae power, their mother had unintentionally given Violet more than the others.

That ability was something Violet and everyone had come to dub, "Misdirection." Put simply, she could redirect anything that approached her and cause it to miss. From bullets made of Dust, to punches, and even explosions. If Violet wished it, she could redirect gravity, air, and light itself. There was nothing safe from her Semblance.

Save one thing. Anything that had been redirected could not be changed again. She could only cheat fate once. It was this weakness they were going to have to take advantage of if they wanted to achieve victory.

That was only taking Violet's Semblance into consideration, however. They still had yet another power to deal with. Ostrum Tempus was the name their ancestors after Noir had given to the katana. The name in their old tongue referred not just to the the color of the sheath, but also to its regal and overbearing power.

As Jaune understood it, the sword slowed time when being drawn. The question was, did it alter time for the one drawing it alone or did it actually change the time of the area around it? Depending on the answer, it could drastically change how he had to deal with it.

If it affected Violet's sense of time alone, there was nothing he could do. However, if it changed time around it, that meant it was something his glyphs could touch. Six swords ago, he had a thirty second cooldown on each glyph. Such a huge gap in time would have been impossible to be of any use. Even if he could stop Pride's ability once, she could just use it again right away.

With every sword he had broken, however, he had reduced the cooldown by five seconds each. Now with six gone, there was no such thing as a cooldown. He had an infinite amount of charges, provide he didn't run out of Ambience from the already absorbed swords. On top of that, after breaking four of the swords he had gained access to Noir's Semblance itself.

Alchemy. It was a concept well known to Fae. In a way, it was based on the prime rule of The Accords. Equivalent Exchange. Now that Jaune had no cooldown, he was free to use the ability as he pleased and with so many of the souls now residing back inside the glyphs, the possibilities for him had expanded immensely.

He only need reach for them. In Fae, he was far stronger than he could possibly be in Remnant. That was not just because Alchemy was well-suited to the realm, but also because his Fae blood could truly be unleashed here. The same could be said for his twin.

Her Semblance was the ability to reflect light. On Remnant and while she wielded Crocea Mors, Wrath, she hadn't needed to tap into the true strength of that power and all the things it could accomplish. Now that she was in Fae and no longer had that weapon to rely on, she could reach her potential simply by grasping for it.

A truth that could not also be said for Pride. Violet had fought for her life not once, but twice in Fae already. It was during these battles she had already unlocked the true scope of her Semblance's power. It had peaked and could not do so again. The twins already knew Violet's ceiling, but had not yet discovered their own.

So now it was time to discover them.

Pride did not have such complicated thoughts as the twins. For all she had become, she was still just a fragment born from one simple thing. The desire to prove herself the best. So using Violet's orange eyes, she looked at Jaune and Jaune alone.

The sin had admitted it herself before, she didn't care much for humans. She rarely bothered to distinguish between them. Even Jaune and his twin were sometimes impossible to tell apart for her. Their differences now would not allow such a mistake. After all, Jaune could never wield a weapon with those weak, maimed hands of his.

Committing herself to the thrill, feeling the adrenaline and ecstasy at finally having the battle she had sought since the beginning, Pride leaned towards her one true opponent. The only one that could end her. Resting a hand on the hilt of her katana and licking her lips, she uttered only one word. "Come."

The winds of Fae picked up that word and with an almost purposefully meandering pace, carried it to the twin's ears. There was a twitch, almost imperceptible.

Blue met blue.

Then they were gone, golden hair whipping behind them. Their soft footfalls belied the strength of which they put into their charge. The two twins ran side by side, neither one needing to adjust their pace to the other. Right now, they were in perfect sync. A result of Fae or just the bond they always shared, neither knew.

Violet tucked lower, sword still not drawn. Orange eyes darted back and forth, looking for any shift. A tell of which twin would reach her blade first. There it was. A change. Just before they reached her, Jaune broke ahead.

Pride drew the blade. Time slowed. At least, to Violet's human mind, which Pride was using to perceive senses and organize thoughts, did it look to slow. So it was in this falsely-perceived slow-motion that she watched the change happen.

Jaune had gotten ahead of his twin. It wasn't much. Just a step, but that was all that was needed for her blade to cut him down. In the second she had begun to draw her sword, something altered. Jaune fell back a step. No, that wasn't correct.

Joan was simply a step faster. Without any eye-contact. In the span of a second that should have been impossible for two different minds. Jaune and Joan trade places. Violet's sword left the sheath and where it should have struck Jaune's heart, it stopped just short of Joan's.

The invisible barrier she created when reflecting light saved her. Invisible was perhaps a misleading term. It was something Violet's eyes could perceive, but more like the shimmer of a mirage than a solid pane of glass.

Pride's perception of time returned to normal. The gap between when she drew the sword and could return it to her sheath was short, but the twins knew Violet. And they knew how Pride would try to use her body.

Joan had already ducked, shield coming above her head. Jaune's feet had left the earth before she even completed the action. His toe just barely touched down on the top of the shield and Joan pushed up.

Jaune flew over her barrier, flipping his body and completing a perfect curve over Pride. He landed in a crouch. Violet went to resheath her sword. In that same motion, Jaune pivot and kicked.

It was pointless. His kick bent out of the way, leg twisting unnaturally to fall short of connecting with any part of Violet's body. Only it wasn't pointless. Jaune had experienced this sensation many times in the past.

The last time he had gone up against Pride, his mind had been a mess. With his father and mother's corpses in front of him and the one responsible within reach, it was hard to blame him. Now, he had buried all such unnecessary thoughts. The only thing important was saving his sister.

Which meant putting all the skills and countermeasures he learned into use. Jaune's leg may have twisted, but instead of fighting Violet's Semblance he went with the motion. He twirled his body, using the leg that had gone awry to pivot and spin closer to his sister.

The motion placed his back to her, but it wasn't a chance Pride could exploit. Without the aid of her special ability, she couldn't guarantee she was faster than Jaune. And if she lunged for him, Violet's Semblance wouldn't protect her. She needed him to approach her.

Even so, there was nothing he could do. Jaune's leg was separate from his arm. So when Jaune's backhand came flying for the katana, Pride had nothing to fear. Violet's Semblance would bend it out of the way again.

All she had to do was resheath the katana and if Jaune wasn't smart enough to be out of her reach by then- well, there was nothing Pride could do if the fight ended so quickly. It would be disappointing, but it was the outcome she predicted.

Except Pride discredited one thing. Jaune was not alone. His twin was with him and they had already once displayed coordination normally impossible.

Joan had stepped past Violet, meeting her twin halfway. While Jaune swung his fist, she swung her shield. There was a loud clap, like two symbols being clanged together. Jaune's face warped in pain, his scarred hands feeling the pain through his Aura.

His twin had intentionally struck the front of his hand, knocking it forward-

And allowing it to bypass Violet's Semblance.

Violet's orange eyes widened. In the same motion, she stopped trying to sheath the katana and leapt backwards. By the very nature of the attack, Jaune was no longer able to change the course of his backhand. That was because it had been knocked forward against his volition and he was no longer in control of it.

So when the sword wasn't where he intended it to be, in went without saying he would miss. The shatter glyph passed directly between the katana and sheath by the narrowest of margins.

Pride's own motion had been too rushed, putting too much effort into protecting her true body than placing distance between herself and the twins. Jaune completed his spin while Joan charged. She only had to take two small steps, bring the red sword high and swing down.

Again, it shouldn't have made a difference. She couldn't hit Violet with a single swing. Pride's mind knew this as an unshakeable truth. It was this faith in the truth that nearly caused her one death already.

Instead of focusing on Joan, she turned to her twin. She thought he had completed his spin, but that wasn't true at all. He'd built on the momentum and leapt in the air, foot coming high and behind Joan's new sword.

There was a loud crack, the heel of Jaune's shoe hitting the back of Milo β-

And like before, pushing it past Violet's Semblance.

A loud clang quickly followed, the katana and red sword sparking off one another. Violet's arm jerked to the side, the force of the blow throwing her off balance. Joan's attack had caught her flat-footed and rather than a proper exchange, Pride had been overpowered.

She. In Violet's body. Had actually just been overpowered.

The twins weren't going to give her time to recover. And nor would she expect them too. Jaune landed in front of his twin. His fist flew, aiming for the katana that had been knocked roughly to the side. Joan's shield struck in the back of his elbow, yet again pushing it through her Semblance.

It was disgraceful, but Pride only had one recourse. She needed to get distance between herself and these twins. Otherwise this stream of combos wasn't going to stop. She dove to the side, dodging Jaune's glyphs-

And running smack into the barrier Joan had placed up earlier.

This had been their plan from the beginning. No, this had been Joan's plan. Without even needing to be told, Jaune understood where his twin intended to lead their eldest sister. So he had moved in a way to ensure it would happen. This sort of communication wasn't just downright unnatural, it was impossible.

Even when fighting with her other siblings, Joan had relied on verbal cues and hand signals to know what strategy they were enacting. It wasn't just impressive that these twins were able to do it without these things, but this was the first time they had ever fought together.

Violet had spent years drilling lessons and strategies into her younger sisters. Tactics they could only accomplish together. These twins had never spent a day in their lives doing such a thing. Fighting together had been a pipe-dream. Something that would never happen. Yet it was something they had both wished for. Was that why?

They didn't know either. Focusing on this connection wasn't worth any thought to either of them. This was only natural. The Queen had said it herself. They had been together since their conception, not from when they were born, but even earlier than that. Their connection had always been exceptional, so of course they would be compatible in combat with one another.

Jaune didn't even so much as glance at his twin. The two of them closed the distance to the cornered Pride together.

Their eldest sister braced against the barrier. If she couldn't escape, she was at least going to use it to regain her balance and hold that position.

Joan's sword swung first. Jaune's fist flew behind it, punching the handle and knocking it through Violet's Semblance. His fingers spasmed and pain shot all the way up to his elbow. He bit past the shock and continued, already making his next move.

There was another loud clang of metal on metal, tiny orange sparks flickering for a brief moment in the space between them. Joan failed to overpower Pride this time, their swords locking in place.

Jaune meanwhile had never stopped throwing the same fist that had pushed Joan's sword through. That fist reached the distance of where Violet's Semblance would kick in when they enacted the final step of their plan.

The barrier behind Violet vanished, leaving nothing more than thin air. Their eldest sister had been pushing back with all her might both against Joan's sword and against that barrier.

With that barrier gone, there was a sudden shift. A loud thump and Violet was on her back. The katana was still locked in place with Joan's blade. His twin rolled with the motion, leaning over Violet and letting their eldest sister's Semblance take over.

It flipped Joan clear over their downed sister. At the same time it disentangled their swords. The katana, in the same way as Violet had been pushing backwards, had been pushing forward.

With nothing holding it place and Pride still recovering from the shock of the first fall, that blade swung-

-right into Jaune's outstretched hand.

There was a brief moment of disbelief. Surely it had been their plan to break the sword this way, but somewhere in the back of his mind, Jaune hadn't truly believed they were going to get away with it this easily. If the fight was going to end up short, it was because Pride was going to kill him, not the other way around.

With a bright flash of light, the whole sword became engulfed in the same white that had destroyed the other six swords. Black tendrils crawled out from his glyph like parasites trying to suck any energy they could from the dying weapon. The same sound his glyphs always made rang out, like the loud strum of electric guitar hooked up to an amp dialed too loud.

Then it was over.

Tiny sparkles of light like stars hung over their downed sister. She was laying on her back, eyes obscured by the purple bangs. He was hunched over her body, just shy of falling face-first onto her. Not that Violet's Semblance would let him. Even unconscious, it would still work.

"Not bad, Jaune." Only she wasn't unconscious. She gave a terrible smirk, both completely like and completely unlike his sister at the same time. Only a second later did he see it.

The katana was gone, but the sheath was not.

The moment he noticed and his vision went red. His shoulder felt like it was on fire, red-hot heat igniting from that point and causing half his body to go numb. He tried to pull back, only to feel resistance.

There was a slicing sound, like a butcher chopping up ham. Then a splatter of red blood flew from his upper left shoulder, being diverted by Violet's Semblance before staining the silver grass.

Jaune's right hand trembled and reached for his shoulder. The tips of his wrapped fingers curled around something distinctly metal. Then there was another blinding flash of light. The same amplified strumming noise. And suddenly the katana buried in his shoulder was destroyed, leaving a myriad of tiny stars to join the group from the sword he destroyed just before that one.

"Jaune!" He fell backwards, whether a movement of his own volition or just an instinctual stagger to get away from the thing that caused him so much pain he had no idea. His mind was too frantic, trying to fight off the pain of having his shoulder gouged open while also trying to wrap his mind around what just happened.

He broke the sword. Twice. He destroyed Pride twice and that still wasn't enough to stop her.

His eldest sister was back on her feet, towering over him now. He had fallen, right hand on his wounded shoulder.

Violet raised her arm.

A third katana glinted off the light.

Then the sword descended.

* * *

 **Chapter Part I End**

* * *

 **AN:** I've decided to break this fight into three parts.

Since it is the final sword I didn't see any problem with letting loose with this battle and as one chapter, the full fight ended up being 14k words long. I've posted longer chapters in other stories before but I felt this was better broken up into sections.

Those signed up for alerts on either this story or myself, I'm posting all three chapters of this fight at once so I apologize if it spams your email.


	68. The Twins vs Violet Part II

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **PSA:** This is the second chapter of a triple update. If you missed the first one, I recommend checking out that one first.

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _The Twins vs Violet (Part II)_

* * *

Violet raised her arm.

A third katana glinted off the light that emitted from nowhere and everywhere at once.

Then the sword descended.

"Jaune!" Joan shouted for the second time. It was much closer now, his twin wrapping an arm protectively around him. The other came up, bringing the circular shield between them and the katana.

There was a shock and clang, the sword bouncing off the shield. Joan's whole forearm went numb from the exchange, but she didn't pay it any mind. The only thing that was important right now was getting her twin away from this undefeatable monster.

She picked him up from under the shoulder, ignoring his hiss in pain for the time being as she pumped all the Aura she had into her feet. With a powerful push that sent hunks of dirt and grass flying, she put managed to put at least fifteen feet between them and their eldest sister.

Pride didn't follow. She didn't so much as move an inch, just continuing to stand where she was. The katana was still drawn and hung limply at her side. On her hip, was the ornate purple sheath.

"Damn. We messed up." There was a glow from Jaune's right hand. Glow wasn't the right word, but they didn't know what else to call it. Black tendrils crawled out from within the white wraps around his hands. Those tendrils reached for his wound, a terrible gash that cut from the top of his shoulder to partially into his torso. They probed that area as if feeling it with their sense of touch, lacking anything like sight.

Then those tendrils began weaving through the wound, cutting into his flesh. "What are you doing!?" Joan would have placed a hand over her mouth to stop the horrible gag that escaped her lips if she wasn't holding the sword in one hand and shield in the other.

"It's healing me." Jaune wheezed, eyes squinting shut and facing away from the operation his own glyphs were performing. "Kind of. All they're really doing is sewing shut the outside damage. I don't have enough skill with the glyphs to heal the internal wound. The only thing I can do is keep myself from bleeding out."

"How do you even know how to do this?" Joan wanted to turn away, but couldn't. The tendrils were criss-crossing through his skin like sutures, binding the skin together and sealing the wound shut. It was still oozing and the gash wasn't gone, but compared to before when his arm was practically falling off his shoulder, it was a considerable improvement.

"I don't." He shook his head. "The glyphs know how, but I don't. I'm just giving them control. They want me alive as much as I do." She didn't understand, but she also didn't have the time to try and understand.

She and Jaune both turned back to Violet. Their sister was still standing there, waiting for him to finish. To say Pride looked… smug, would be an understatement.

Jaune was right, they had messed up and made a big assumption about the last sword. No, calling it a sword had been what was wrong with their assumption.

"Two corrections." Violet held up her index and middle finger. The absolute mirth in her voice was a tone Joan had never heard from their eldest sister before. Violet had always been proud of her own abilities and strength, but she never flaunted them with such narcissism.

"As you seem to have realized, I am actually not a katana." That much was obvious. Pride was the exact opposite of Wrath in that regard. In order to break Wrath, Jaune had to destroy the sword, not the sheath/shield.

So it was obvious when they thought about it in retrospect.

If Wrath had been two pieces, why wouldn't another of the swords have also been? Everyone had always been so transfixed on the katana part of the combo that they never thought about the sheath. It was such a crucial part to Pride's ability yet no one ever thought about it.

"The second correction?" Jaune rolled his shoulder, the tendrils retreating back into the wraps around his hands. He let out a hiss, but for now there was nothing more to be done. They had to finish this battle first.

"Yes." Pride held up the katana and almost seemed to admire it. The blade was an exact replica of the first two Jaune had just destroyed. "You of course know the name I was given by your ancestors after Noir. Ostrum Tempus. Do you know what it means?"

Joan and Jaune shared a brief glance, the both of them shrugging.

"I've actually always rather enjoyed my name, unlike the others, because the name given to me demonstrated both the awe you humans had for my power and at the same time how little you actually understood it." She slid the katana into the sheath. "When I draw the blade, every single one of my wielders was under the impression that time was being slowed.

"That is incorrect. I do not slow down time, I am a gateway to infinite alternate realities."

The twins blinked. They had heard Pride's words. Heard them and had not in the least bit understood them.

Something she seemed to realize, Violet throwing her head back and letting out a loud laugh. "It's not so hard a concept. I'm simply saying that your reality is not the only one. There are an infinite number of them. That means an infinite number of them where I exist. And an infinite number of them where I do not.

"The same goes for you twins. There's an infinite number of alternate worlds where the two of you are twins and there's an infinite number where you're not. There's probably a whole infinite number of realities where Jaune goes to Beacon. Where he isn't marked with the glyphs. Where Crocea Mors wasn't created as some evil fragment, but was just a normal sword and shield that he brought with him.

"Ah, I'm getting off track." Pride shook her head and drummed her fingers against the handle of the katana now inside its sheath. "Like I said, there's an infinite number of me across all these realities completely separate from our own. Normally they're impossible to interact with. That's not the case for me.

"I can freely access these realities and choose from them an outcome that benefits my host. Violet didn't stab Jaune in the shoulder in this reality. However, there is a reality where she did stab him in the shoulder. I chose that reality and swapped ours with that one. And just like that!" She clapped her hands, startling them both.

"Jaune now has a katana in his shoulder." The grin she had was truly terrifying and malignant. "Humans are not capable of perceiving this phenomena, because it is performed on a dimension so outside your realm of understanding, that your brain is not programmed to fathom it. So what my wielders do is take the information and…" She twirled her wrist several times, orange eyes scanning the sky as she looked for the appropriate word. "...dumb it down."

She nodded as if satisfied with that choice. "You cannot perceive something moving through dimensions, but your brain is familiar with time being perceived differently. It happens to everyone, rather you realize it or not. Whether you're bored or having fun. Waiting for something to happen or actively engaged in something. All humans are constantly perceiving time different to one another and relative to what they are currently doing.

"So it's through this outlet that all my wielders for a thousand years have misconstrued my true ability. Until Violet. Your sister was the first one to realize the truth. And when she did… she uncovered my true ability."

"True ability?" Joan didn't like the sound of that. Things were already bad enough. She had thought Pride's ability was terrible before. This was terrible on a whole other level than anything she could have possibly imagined.

She didn't get all the nitty details of what Pride was saying, but she understood enough to put it in terms she could better comprehend. Ostrum Tempus was like a hacker. Only she wasn't hacking a game, but reality itself. If she didn't like the outcome of an action, she simply changed it. That was all there was to it. She was the ultimate cheater.

"You've already seen that ability twice now." Violet slowly drew the katana once again, holding the blade horizontally in front of herself. "A fraction of it, at least." She didn't explain it any further than that.

There was no need to explain it. The twins already more or less understood. To be precise, what they understood was that Pride could tap into these realities not just to change her outcome, but she could also pull out exact replicas of the katana. What they didn't understand was the true meaning of the word "infinite."

So Pride decided to demonstrate it for them.

The change was instantaneous. There was no grand chorus or great fanfare that welcomed it in. One second it was just them standing against Violet and a lone katana. And the next, the sky behind their sister was blotted out.

Flying from behind her were thousands- tens of thousands of katana. Those katana rained down like a hurricane, spearing the silver grass and tearing the earth. It was beyond comprehension. Why were there so many katana and how were they falling from the sky like arrows fired from a bow?

Pride had already told them. There were infinite realities. So she had infinite possibilities. There was a world where Violet had leapt into the air and threw the katana. There were infinite different worlds where that happened, Violet's body in just a slightly different location in each one.

All Pride had to do was summon the katana from these dimensions. It was no different than the way Fia Vesta summoned fire or Glacies Inferno summoned ice. If they could be called a pyromancer and cryomancer respectively, than Pride would be called a katanamancer.

Joan threw up a barrier. There was no thought behind the action. It was just pure, primal panic that guided her to do so. Dozens of the katana reflected off her barrier, spinning through the air and falling harmlessly in front of the twins. Thousands more speared the ground in every conceivable direction around them.

With that one move, Pride had perfectly boxed them in. No matter which way they attempted to flee, there was an impassable wall of swords. Jaune's glyphs no longer had a cooldown, but trying to mow through the thousands of katana would be too slow.

Their sister had changed the terrain to suit her needs. That was something Jaune had been trying to avoid. He may not have realized it on a conscious level, but the Fae blood coursing through him had wanted to cause as little damage to the realm as possible. Now that Pride had already destroyed it, there was no need for him to hold back.

"Hang on, Joan." Her twin said. He leaned forward, planting both glyphed hands on the silver grass. It felt silky and wonderful even through the thick wraps that dulled his sense of touch. Touching the ground of Fae, he felt the energy of the world coursing through his veins.

His mother had given him some of her power. He hadn't understood the implications of that before. He did now. Jaune knew he could perform miracles the likes of which he wouldn't have been able after training for years on Remnant. This was _his_ terrain.

Ink blacker than night pooled out from his glyphs. They coated the ground pitch black, giving it the appearance of a bottomless pit. A sense of vertigo washed over him and his twin, their genetic motion sickness automatically triggering as it felt like they might fall into this abyss beneath them at any second.

The pool didn't stop just at them. It expanded and expanded. Bigger than anything he had ever created before. The design encompassed all tens of thousands of swords. Everything that could have once been considered Pride's terrain, he sought to destroy that.

The area covered, the black ink took on a shape Jaune couldn't even picture in his head. Once again he gave control over to the glyphs. It was a dangerous gamble, giving them so much control. He only felt confident in such a decision because right now he knew they wanted the same as him. They wanted Pride back.

The very air hummed with energy, gravity itself changing temporarily.

Then the alchemic circle activated. The land below them transformed, being changed from grass and earth to something else entirely. It looked like obsidian or some other such element, only it wasn't. It was something entirely different. A element Remnant hadn't yet discovered. An element that completely bent to Jaune's will. No, to his glyph's will.

The black rock below them shifted, nearly stumbling both twins. There was only a small area of land not covered in swords that the twins stood on. That small area shot up like a pillar, rising high above the rest of the earth. It kept rising and rising. Only when they were parallel with the great floating islands and sky rivers did it finally stop.

It was a small patch of land. Four steps in any direction and they would fall right off. Fall hundreds of feet into the shifting malestrom below them.

It was impossible to tell what kind of form the black earth had taken now. Was it liquid like ink? Was it solid like metal? Somewhere in between? It looked like an angry ocean, the black matter slamming and slithering over itself in a constant state of flux. The tens of thousands of katana were knocked loose, flailing like toothpicks in the raging storm below.

The energy needed to maintain this must have surely been immense. After absorbing six of the seven swords now, Jaune was not short on the Ambience required to perform such a powerful technique. In Remnant this wouldn't have been possible, but Fae was more accepting of his control.

Amidst all this, Violet could not be seen. Nor could Jaune sense her. Everything within the shifting waves should have been visible to him, but for some reason he could not detect his eldest sister. Was this her Semblance diverting his tracking sense? If that was the case, he was thinking about it wrong.

Autumn had once told him a trick she used for her Semblance. Sometimes it's not about what you can you see. It's about what you _can't_ see. He hadn't really understood her meaning at the time, because he did not have the context to understand it. Now that he did, he used her advice.

And found his sister not a moment later. "Joan! Behind us!" He couldn't do anything to stop her. She had already passed beyond the boundary of his storm. Now he had another problem. His glyphs were going insane with the power and he couldn't stop the attack. Not instantly at least. He needed several seconds, something Pride wasn't going to give him.

Joan turned just in time for Violet to appear in the air behind them. Their eldest sister hung suspended at the height of her jump. Ten swords came raining down past her, every single one of them pointed at Jaune's back.

His twin knew she could defend him. Her barrier would be enough. What was she going to do after that? Just defending or just attacking was no longer enough in this battle. Jaune and Violet were doing both with every single move they made now. Violet unleashed her true power and so Jaune had unleashed his.

It was time for Joan to unleash hers. Earlier, Jaune had said he didn't know what he was doing. He was just giving control over to the glyphs. Such a thought was completely absurd. And right now Joan needed to do something absurd.

She didn't have glyphs to give herself too like Jaune did, but she was also part Fae like he and her sister was. So Joan turned to that, finding the power her mother had granted her, that energy flowing through her blood. She allowed it to take control, guiding her movements and using her Semblance in a way she never would have thought to before.

The air around her bent and contorted. No, it wasn't the air but light itself that was bending. This wasn't an unusual phenomenon for her. It was her Semblance after all. Bending the light and hardening it into an unbreakable shield. This was different, the light not taking the shape of a thin barrier.

Instead it bent and whorled upon itself, overlapping again and again until it was so thick that it was not just a shimmer like that of a mirage, but a spear of pure white energy. It glowed so bright, no one but Joan could gaze upon it.

The light lingered in place for a second longer, tingling the air around it as it waited for her command. Joan didn't have to move a muscle, simply letting the spear go with her mind.

It launched forward like it had been shot from a trebuchet. That single spear of pure light energy flew through the sky to meet the ten swords head on.

No matter how Pride looked at it, this was a foolish plan. There was no way a single spear could match ten swords. The outcome was determined from the beginning. If Joan had been capable of producing ten spears, this would not have been an issue. This being her first time using her Semblance in such a way, however, of course she could only make one.

So then, would it have not been better to instead use the Semblance in the way she always had? A shield may have only had one purpose, but it was good at its purpose. It would have protected her and her brother without fail. This spear, which she had launched with two purposes could never hope to compare to that.

This wasn't wrong. Pride's line of thinking was very correct. She just did not take into account the substance of the spear.

It was made of light.

And nothing in the known world was faster than light. The spear flickered, its directory shifting and changing hundreds of times a second. Even though it should not have been capable of such a thing, it ignored that logic to perform this impossible feat anyways.

The spear and the ten swords collided-

And the katana were mercilessly battered aside, cracking and shattering. Something that wasn't the glyphs had met her swords and destroyed them. This was another obvious truth that didn't need to be said.

As a shield, Joan's light could not be penetrated. So it was only natural that as a spear there was nothing it could not penetrate.

The light spear vanished from sight. Violet's ponytail whipped and flung from the force of numerous simultaneous sonic booms. Then in the distance behind her was an explosion. Pride only turned just enough to give it a quick glance.

One of the large floating islands had a massive hole in it. Clear from one end of it to the other. Fresh magma and molten rock spew from the newly created gap that Joan's spear had created. In a span of time so short you couldn't even call it an instant, her spear had traveled there and created that hole.

The only reason Pride- no, both her and Violet were alive, was thanks to her host's miraculous Semblance. It had bent that light around her body, saving them both from certain mutually assured destruction.

Joan wasn't done with just that one attack. With the first one, she had allowed her Fae blood to do all the work and show her the steps necessary. Now that she had seen it, she could recreate it and take it a step beyond. Instead of one whorl of light, she created three.

Three spears of light distorted the air. The temperature around them rose several degrees. Even so, she did not release those spears until Violet attacked first.

All of this had happened so fast, Violet's body was just now starting to fall back towards the black earth below. The shifting malestrom had stopped, Jaune ripping control of his glyphs back forcefully. He was only now starting to stand and turn to their opponent.

The pillar the twins were standing on shifted and teetered. At the base of the pillar were hundreds of swords. They had hacked through it in a single combined strike, having been summoned from a reality where Violet had gone after the base instead of the twins up top.

The whole tower began to sway, leaning this way and that. The twins only had a split second to decide which way they wanted it to fall. To Joan's left and Jaune's right, one of the floating islands was slowly drifting past.

As one mind, they both decided to make for that. The pillar began to fall, the twins guiding it towards their desired destination. As it leaned closer, the force of gravity began to press harder down. For a moment, they wondered if they could make it. There was no time to think of something else and as the pillar fell just short of the floating island, they jumped.

Pride gave chase, summoning a series of swords in here path beneath Violet's feet. She kicked off each handle, walking across the swords like stepping stones.

There was a soft thump, the twins rolling across the silver glass of the floating island. It wasn't the smallest one they had seen floating in the sky, but it by far wasn't the biggest either. The whole island was about the size of a small house. Unlike the great plains, it wasn't just grass but also thick trees with leaves of silver placed sporadically throughout.

They didn't have time to take more information than that, the whistling of swords cutting through the air coming from above. Jaune reacted first, scrambling to his feet and spinning to meet the swords.

He didn't look for them, just relying on his ears and instincts to do the bulk of the work. His left hand flailed madly, the wound on his shoulder pulsing and achingly with every movement.

With a single swing he obliterated at least three swords. That wasn't nearly enough to stop the attack and another dozen continued to fall right for him and his twin. Jaune's right swung this time, purging two more. Then his left again. Every time a katana was destroyed and there was a loud piercing shriek and the swords burst into a myriad of tiny lights that glittered around him.

He destroyed the last sword. Violet landed in the middle of the island in a crouch. She hadn't been throwing them at him, but kicking off them in such a way that they went for him anyways. His eldest sister slowly rose to her feet, a katana in each hand.

Such a stance suggested she intended to charge him. Which was just fine. He needed to get close to her too to finish this. Knowing Pride's true ability made him hesitant to do so. He didn't know its effective range, but the aching wound in his shoulder was reminder enough that if he let her too close it wasn't going to end well for him.

So what if there was a way to win without having to close the gap? He didn't know if it was even possible, but he had already accomplished several things today he didn't think possible until now. So there was no risk in at least trying.

Jaune slammed his hands on the ground, black ink pooling out and forming a circle much smaller than the last, only spreading a few feet around him. It had yet to take shape into a proper alchemic formula when Pride moved. She was probably fifteen feet away at the start of her charge. Too close. That was a distance she could close in under a second. Only she never got near, forward momentum turning into a backwards retreat after closing only half that distance.

In the space she had just been standing there was a great flash of light. The three spears Joan had created earlier had never left the spot she generated them in. That was, they hadn't until just now, called upon to drive their eldest sister back. One at a time, Violet had nothing to fear from the spears. But if they ricocheted off one another, even her Semblance wouldn't save her.

That split second Joan had bought him was all Jaune needed to complete his work. Seven drill-shaped missiles sprang out from the ground. Like everything else created from the glyphs, they were darker than night, so black it was like they rejected any kind of light completely. Those seven missiles flew over Jaune's shoulder and as they did, the black tendrils from his glyphs flew off his hands and wrapped around them like parasitic worms.

They hadn't even completely flew over his shoulder when Joan created another seven spears of pure white light. Her creation time was getting faster and faster with each subsequent formation of these spears. There was almost no lag-time now between when one was completed and the next constructed.

She threw the spears. Each one attaching itself to the back of one of Jaune's missiles and propelling them forward.

Violet's orange eyes widened the smallest of fractions. She understood now why the Queen had permitted Joan to stay. She thought she had gotten it when the two had moved as if of one mind, but now she truly understood.

These two completed one another in every sense of the word.

His Semblance crafted objects of pure black that lacked anything like light.

Hers shaped light itself, creating radiating weapons of pure white.

You could be forgiven for thinking that made them opposites, but you would still be incorrect. They were nothing like opposites. They were just two parts of one whole.

The missiles made it passed Violet's Semblance. By themselves it wasn't a feat they could accomplish. Being pushed by Joan's spears of light, all seven made it without being altered in the slightest.

Pride couldn't help the grin that crossed Violet's face. This was what she had wanted. A battle where she was forced to push herself to the limits. She swung the katana in her left. It met the drill head on-

-and shattered.

There was the distinct sound from whenever Jaune's glyphs activated that immediately told them all what happened. When he added the tendrils from the glyphs, he'd passed on the shattering ability to them too. The drill too shattered from the collision, but that didn't matter. It had accomplished its objective.

The light spear bent out of the way, not saved from Violet's Semblance as nothing had been redirecting it. There were still six missiles left for Pride to handle. And now that the twin's knew they would work, all of them changed course for her true body. The sheath on her hip.

The sword in her right hand swung next. Like before, it hit the drill and both of them shattered apart. Now there was nothing between the sheath and the remaining five. In this reality, at least. Pride summoned another katana in each hand. As if she never lost a sword at all, she continued to swing.

Seven times Jaune's drills destroyed a katana. And seven times, Pride fended off the attack, her ability taking care of the black missiles and Violet's Semblance taking care of the white spears.

The assault ended and Pride began her counter-attack. Once again, the sky was blotted out, a deep shadow covering the land. The twins at first assumed it to be another countless barrage of swords. They were wrong. They were very, very wrong.

Pride had told them once already. There were limitless realities. They had mistakenly assumed that what she meant was that she could only summon an unlimited number of swords from these realities. What they didn't take into account was how drastically these other worlds could differ from their own.

Say for instance, what if in the other reality Pride hadn't been forged by a human? What if instead she had been created by titans? That was the reality Pride had called upon, summoning a sword larger than any mountain. You could melt down all the steel in Remnant and you still wouldn't have enough to forge a sword of this size.

It was exactly such a weapon that fell upon them.

* * *

 **Chapter Part II End**


	69. The Twins vs Violet Part III

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

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 **PSA:** I did a triple update this chapter, so there might be two other chapters before this that you may have missed. If you did, I recommend you check those out first. If not, carry on.

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _The Twins vs Violet (Part III)_

* * *

Pride had told them once already.

There were limitless realities.

They had mistakenly assumed that what she meant was that she could only summon an unlimited number of swords from these realities. What they didn't take into account was how drastically these other worlds could differ from their own.

Say for instance, what if in the other reality Pride hadn't been forged by a human? What if instead she had been created by titans? That was the reality Pride had called upon, summoning a sword larger than any mountain. You could melt down all the steel in Remnant and you still wouldn't have enough to forge a sword of this size.

It was exactly such a weapon that fell upon them.

Against the power of Jaune's glyphs, the size of a weapon didn't matter. Whether it was a normal sword wielded by humans or one fit for a God, his glyph treated them all equally. If anything, a larger weapon was actually at a disadvantage when looked at this way.

Which was why Jaune hadn't been the target of Pride's attack. Instead it had been the island they were standing on. The small floating mass was sundered, splitting into fragments so small you couldn't even call them rocks any more. Silver leaves scattered, being carried away by the gale generated from such a massive object falling out of the sky.

The three Arcs entered free fall. Before it had been so violently destroyed, the island had floated directly over one of the sky rivers. The sword had missed it, the tip of the blade burrowing into the black mass of land created by Jaune's glyphs. It now stood at an angle like some kind of monument that had been erected centuries ago.

A mostly intact tree trunk crashed into the river, bobbing in the water and being carried away by the current. The twins aimed for that, Jaune landing at the front and Joan towards the back. Wind battered at their eyes, obscuring their vision. It hadn't looked like it from so far away, but the sky rivers flowed more like rolling rapids than a gentle stream. Even a few minutes on this river and they would be whisked away to parts unknown.

Pride flew over their heads and landed on a separate plank of wood just a short ways ahead. Jaune ducked low, hand leaning over the water. Joan crouched down, creating another spear of light. Neither one had performed the move to dodge, but the action saved their lives all the same.

The handle of a sword appeared in the purple sheath. And then a sword longer than any spear occupied the space their heads had just been. Despite the fact that a sword of such length could not have possibly just fit inside the sheath, it was exactly such a sword that Violet had drawn.

Black tendrils leapt off Jaune's glyphs. They reached for the sword even while his hand moved away, wrapping around it like a swarm of eels. The katana of impossible length glowed white and then shattered. All while Jaune's hand dipped into the frigid river.

Water sprayed from the contact, jostling his fingers and causing his hand to go numb with cold. It wasn't enough. It wasn't cold enough. Tapping into himself, finding the inherent sinful laziness that occupied every human, Jaune sought a power until a short while ago had been his enemy.

The water changed. Freezing the air would still be too much for the power Jaune only just realized he had. Changing already freezing water, however, was within his capabilities. The whole rolling river froze solid. No, the whole river would be incorrect. You couldn't freeze the whole of something that didn't have a beginning or an end. It would just be more accurate to say he had frozen the river as far as the eye could see.

A spear of light flew from over his shoulder. It went straight for their eldest sister until her Semblance bent it out of the way and into the path of ice they stood upon. The spear destroyed the path, shattering the ice and sending hunks of it flying in every direction.

Once again the Arcs began to fall. This time with nothing between them and the ground below. At least, there wasn't anything when they began to fall. Pride once again tapped into alternate realities, one where Violet had already been standing on the jagged black earth while the twins fell from above. Thousands of swords pointing straight up soared at them like missiles.

Joan grit her teeth so hard that they threatened to crack, blood rolling out from her gums. Eleven spears of light whorled into existence around her and her twin. Instead of creating them one at a time, she created them all at once. If she didn't, they would never be in time to save them.

She unleashed those eleven spears the moment they were ready. A paltry eleven against thousands. No matter how she looked at it, not even her spears were capable of dealing with such numbers. Not as they had been. Which was why this time she had added an extra twist onto them.

The two opposing forces collided. The very air below them hummed with energy. Gravity itself ceased to exist. The whole realm lit up in a bright, extrinsic flash of pure white light. Then everything returned to normal.

Normal unless you took into account the brand new existence of eleven miniature stars. They were only stars in name, but were actually closer to giant orbs of pure light and were only giant when compared to humans, but compared to the size of an actual star and these were minuscule at best. They burned white hot, their flames eating anything and everything that got even remotely close. The swords, the pitch black rock created by alchemy, even Joan herself wouldn't be spared from their power if they got too much closer.

Which wasn't exactly an option they had, the three of them still in free fall. That wasn't to say Joan didn't have options. Dangerous and large as these "stars" had become, they were still made entirely of light. And Joan's Semblance allowed her to control light.

She reached out to them, intending to put them out right then and there. "Joan!" Only to get jerked backwards by the scruff of her school jacket. Her twin's face contorted in pain, the use of his hand in such a way causing his scars to to flare and ache. The pain his face showed would have been nothing compared to Joan's if her hand and continued where it was going.

A katana swung just in the spot she had been reaching at. Violet had closed the distance between them and engaged them in midair flight. For the first time in this fight, Pride had attacked Joan instead of Jaune. Despite the fact or maybe even because she too needed Joan to be the one to put out the newly created stars.

Jaune swapped places with his twin, his glyphed hands flying forward to meet Violet's katana. There was a flash of light and loud ring as his glyph won out. Only to happen ten more times in the span of the next couple seconds. The siblings were locked in a flurry of attacks too fast to be tracked by sight alone, his glyphs destroying her infinite swords in rapid succession.

The tendrils of his glyphs leapt for the sheath during this exchange, no longer restricted to the reach of Jaune's hands alone. Only they couldn't get close, Violet's Semblance continuing to keep it just out of reach.

Joan once again turned her attention back on the stars. The heat from them was becoming unbearable, sweat collecting on her forehead and under her clothes. The cuff of her jacket and ends of her skirt were beginning to singe and there was a distinct smell of smoke in the air now too. She had maybe a couple seconds at best to put them out or risk catching on fire.

Extinguishing all eleven of them at once would be impossible. So she focused only on the one closest to them. The one which they were falling right for. The light scattered, orb shrinking drastically by the second. Until the only thing left in its place was a smoking crater and the smell of ash.

It was this very crater that they were about to fall into. "Jaune!" Joan tapped her twin's shoulder.

He glanced for half-a-second at the ever-growing-closer point of impact. That was all the time Pride gave him, the two of the still engaged in their mad series of attack and counterattack. "Swap!" He called over his shoulder, tucking and rolling back. Joan took his place not even a second later.

Sparks flew. Her shield and sword met with two katana. The lumps of metal disconnected and met again in a lively series of clashes to mimic the engagement Jaune had just been in.

Free from the battle, Jaune turned himself towards the ground and extended both hands. The pitch-black tendrils raced ahead of him and burrowed into the crater, dying it the same color and creating an alchemic circle.

There was a dark flash.

And the twins hit the ground not a moment later.

Hit it and then immediately bounced, the pitch-black material acting like a trampoline that sent them tumbling head over heels through the air. A moment later and they touched back down in a tangle of limbs, bouncing several more times before finally coming to a stop.

There was a brief moment of silence. The only noise in the air around them were the twins trying to catch their breath, inhaling and exhaling huge gulps of air. It was the first chance they had since Pride unveiled her true ability.

From that moment the battle had gone from zero to a hundred and beyond in the blink of an eye. Again and again the twins had both continued to use abilities they didn't even know they were capable of in rapid succession, not taking enough time to even process the sheer incredibility of what they were doing.

Looking up at the sky, they were just now kind of able to take it all in. There was a whole section of the land that looked like a petrified tsunami of pure black ink. Ten white-hot suns floated close enough to walk to. A katana taller than a mountain was planted blade first into the earth. All of this in the span of only the last couple minutes, if that long.

They wanted to laugh. At the fact that they were still alive. At the fact they were partially responsible for this. At the fact they weren't even entirely human. At just the sheer ridiculous of it all. They didn't have the time to laugh, however.

Pride wasn't beaten yet.

There was no way she had been done in by that fall. Even gravity itself could be redirected by Violet's Semblance. The only reason she had fallen with them up to that point was to keep the fight going. The one she had been waiting for since the beginning.

Together, the twins moved to stand.

Swords flew at them before either one was more than halfway up.

Jaune raised his arms to fend them off-

-and stumbled.

What the heck? It hurt. It hurt. He freaking hurt. Why? Why did he hurt? Of course he hurt. The wound on his shoulder hadn't healed. He'd simply forgotten about it.

Blood leaked out the torn skin, pushing past the hastily thrown-on black stitches his glyphs had created. While engaged in combat and hopped up on adrenaline, he hadn't noticed what he was doing to himself. He had foolishly unleashed powers beyond that of normal humans… and in the thrill of that battle forgot his human limitations. Now his body paid the price for that. His head filled with white noise and vision blurred out of focus.

"Jaune!" Joan didn't know why she reacted the way she did. It would have been smarter to create a barrier or another spear of light. When she saw her brother begin to fall, however, all sense of reason left her. Her body just moved to protect him.

Protect him by jumping between him and the raining blades.

A couple of the swords she got lucky with, those deflecting off her shield and red blade in a shower of sparks. All it took was one. That one katana flew over her shield and buried itself halfway into her left shoulder.

She let out a horrendous cry, jolting Jaune back to his senses. Pride stood just a little ways in front of them, wearing that terribly cruel smirk as she used Violet's body to murder her two younger siblings.

There were too many swords and not enough time. He couldn't get himself in front of Joan in time. The shield and sword had quit trying to deflect the incoming blades. The shock from the one sword driven into her shoulder was too much. And now she was about to be littered with dozens of other blades.

That was the only reality Jaune could see. He wasn't like Pride. He couldn't access other worlds, like one where he was in Joan's place and her in his.

So it was fortunate for him that he didn't need to.

There was a flash of green.

Pride's smirk was replaced by a displeased frown.

Standing in front of the twins, green orb surrounding his whole body, was the Headmaster of Beacon himself. The numerous katana bounced pointlessly off the orb. Joan started to fall backwards. Her twin leapt forward, catching her and shattering the sword in the same motion. Black tendrils had already leapt off his glyphs and were stitching the wound shut.

"What is the meaning of this?" Pride asked. To say she didn't look happy… would be to put it lightly.

Ozpin ignored her completely, which only seemed to make her even more angry. Without lowering his shield, he turned his neck just enough to look back at the twins. "Are you okay, Miss Joan? I apologize. My timing has always been a little slow, I'm afraid."

"I'm fine." Joan nodded her head, not able to move much else. Jaune clung to her around the waist, her back pressed up against his chest. The wound had already finished being stitched shut and was only slowly leaking blood. It had been the same shoulder that Jaune previously injured and the wounds looked almost identical. "Why did you jump in? I thought you couldn't help us?"

Ozpin responded by holding up three fingers. "I am the third favor. The one The Queen said had not yet come to pass. For three minutes I can grant you my aid. After that time, I must return to her side. I will do everything in my power to keep Pride away from you for that time. While I do, come up with a plan."

Jaune's grip on Joan's waist tightened. "Can we really come up with something? Pride is too strong. You saw what we threw at her and she didn't even flinch." It was only natural that this was the result. In terms of pure strength, Jaune and Joan may have actually even been stronger than Pride. That simply didn't matter in the face of Pride and Violet's overwhelming combat experience.

"You can do it." Ozpin gave him a small, barely recognizable smile. "You're the only one that can do it. I've watched over you since the beginning, young Jaune."

"...The beginning?"

"I was there that night." Ozpin didn't need to say what night he spoke of. "I asked Rouge not to speak of it. I didn't want you to know that I had failed you. That I failed to defeat any of your sisters. I was only able to hold them off. In the end, only I survived. I thought I had failed everyone. Then I found your youngest sister… and I found you. Someone who had lost, but who had also managed to do something I could not.

"You saved one of them where I had failed to save anyone. When I spoke to you at the hospital for that first time after, I realized why it was you were able to do so. You were not the most impressive fighter. You were not stronger than your sisters. However, you had a desperation that could not be dismissed. To save your sisters… you would do anything. No matter how low you had to sink. Do you understand what I am saying?"

The Headmaster didn't wait to hear Jaune's answer.

He turned around to face Violet and in a flash he was gone. Pride swung the katana. The tip of Ozpin's cane met the steel blade with a solid thwack. Violet couldn't be budged, but a powerful maelstrom of wind kicked up the dust behind her. It was so powerful a gale that another of the already weakening stars was snuffed out entirely. All that from a single thrust.

Pride and Ozpin both moved. The twins lost sight of them. Only to hear them half-a-second later. There was another clash at the edge of the crater. Another powerful storm of wind. Then it happened again, the two ancient beings fading from sight and appearing in a new location to strike at one another.

For all the strength Jaune and Joan had unleashed just a short while ago, they both realized now how much further they had to go. Trying to fight Pride at her own game had been a foolish plan from the beginning. They saw her power and panicked, thinking they had to fight that power with equal force. Ozpin had put it best: Jaune didn't need to rise above his sister. What he had to do was sink lower than her.

"I've got it." Jaune sunk to his knees, still holding his sister's waist. Joan fell with him, their bodies bouncing slightly on the flexible, black, tar-like material he'd changed the ground into.

"What are we going to do, Jaune?" His twin slowly disentangled herself from his hold, turning to look at him. She didn't know what kind of strategy he had, but she knew for a fact he was going to need her for it. That was why they were together. They had always been together. Recently it felt like they hadn't, but Joan knew now. For all the horrible things that led to this battle, she could say without a doubt it had verified her connection to him.

She dropped her sword and shield, taking his wrapped hands in hers. They were close, their bodies just short of intermingling with one another. They had the same messy blonde hair. The same bright blue eyes. He had grown taller than her over the years and become more muscular. Her body had changed in different ways.

"We're going to do the one thing Pride could never do." Jaune said, voice full of confidence completely unfit for what he was about to suggest. "We're going to abandon ours altogether."

In the distance there was another clash.

This wasn't the fight Pride had wanted. She wasn't exactly about to complain either. Ever since discovering about the world of the ancients, a side-effect from when Violet's mother had forced her awakening, she had wanted to test her power more.

Ozpin was one of those such beings she eventually wanted to pit herself against. There was an order to things, however. She desired to fight these ancients, but she first needed to prove herself the strongest fragment of Noir. If she couldn't even do that, what right did she have to stand in the same ring as these great beings that humanity could only imagine?

Of course, she already had her answer. The battle had been decided. Had Ozpin not stepped in when he had, she would have had her victory. In a way, she was grateful that he had. She wanted more. To fight more, to feel that thrill more. When had she ever released so much power in a single battle before now?

Jaune was getting stronger. Every second. Every moment he was getting closer and closer to what Noir had been. He was even beginning to demonstrate powers of the defeated swords. There was only one chance Pride had to go up against all that and she wanted it to last as long as possible.

So for that reason, she would indulge Ozpin for these three minutes. No matter what strategy he thought Jaune and his twin could come up with, in the end Pride knew it wouldn't matter. Strategy and the likes were for the weak. They were for those who couldn't win with power and so they had to find other means.

Against Pride and her ability to change reality, strategy was meaningless. The only thing that could match her power was equal or greater power. This was fact. It was why Ozpin hadn't relied on a single scheme this battle and the two of them merely clashed, throwing all their power at one another. Over and over again.

If they were to talk pure strength alone. Ozpin was superior. Pride could tell this simple truth with every exchange. His blows were consistently stronger than hers. Every swing of his cane was enough to change the environment.

Sky rivers burst apart into torrential downpours. The stars Joan had created winked out one at a time. The floating islands crumbled. The sword taller than a mountain shifted and stood at more of an angle.

These were not things Pride could accomplish. Her ability lacked the brute strength displayed by Ozpin's blows. His speed too was unmatched. Pride kept changing reality to one where she struck the Headmaster down. Only for him to defy that reality by matching her movements with inhuman reflexes.

Even on the several occasions Violet could slip past his guard, his Aura itself would protect him. It was a problem Pride hadn't experienced in over several hundred years. Her Ambience had become so vast that it simply overpowered the Aura of humans altogether, treating it like it wasn't even there.

This was not the case for Ozpin. He had so much Aura it was visible outside his body. He could create a full dome from his Aura alone. It was not some kind of a protective Semblance. It was simply his Aura taken form. A feat she had never seen from a human before now. If she had an unquantifiable amount of Ambience, then he too had an unquantifiable amount of Aura. He truly deserved the title of ancient bestowed upon him.

For all this power he had, it did him no good. No matter how strong his blows. No matter how fast. There was one thing he could not get through on his own. Violet's Semblance.

This was a battle he could never win by himself.

Which was why his goal from the beginning had not been to win. It was simply a stop-gap. A throw-away favor by a Queen who had to give Jaune that number. Three was an important number in Fae. The realm could not exist without it. That was why Ozpin was limited to three mere minutes.

Not enough time to change anything. Not enough time to make any difference. Not enough time.

Ozpin jerked to a stop.

His time was up.

"Too bad." Violet too stopped. Pride knew to attack Ozpin now was to invite The Queen to get further involved. He was her emissary. It was why he couldn't offer more assistance than this but it was also why she couldn't carelessly strike at him. The Queen was not yet something Pride could handle.

One day. After she had defeated Jaune. After she had cleansed Remnant of all its ancients. She would gain more power and she would come to Fae next. She would then dispose of all three of their rulers. The Lady. The Queen. Even the Mother. All their armies and all of this infinite world. She would erase it from existence.

Why? There was no deep reason. It was her nature. She was better than them and there was only one way to prove it. If the world of Fae ceased to exist because of that, it was of no consequence to her. It was their fault for being weaker than her. That was all.

When she was done with this reality's Remnant and this reality's Fae, she would simply move onto the next one. It had to be possible. She could tap into these alternate worlds. These alternate timelines. So there should be a way for her to cross over to them.

There were infinite worlds for her to conquer. For her to prove herself the best. She could do this forever. She would gain more power. She would find a way to make Violet's body immortal. Her and Violet together, there was nothing the two of them could not accomplish. Pride ran a hand lovingly down Violet's torso. Feeling every curve, every bump of the ribcage. Pride had fallen in love with this body. She would not give it up. There was surely a way. After all, Violet was already part Fae. That was already halfway to immortality. She just needed to find a way to tap into it. If there wasn't one, Pride would simply make one.

Nothing could stop her.

"I think you are mistaken." Ozpin responded to Pride's earlier sentiment. "The time I bought was more than enough. I cannot help but think of that as a good thing." The headmaster adjusted his glasses and turned his gaze.

Pride followed his eyes.

Charging them in the distance were the twins. They ran side by side, in the same way they first had when the battle had just started. Things were different now. Before they didn't have wounds. Now, they each had a gash in their clothes, left shoulder exposed. When the wounds had been open, it looked like their arms might even fall off. Those wounds had been sealed tight by Jaune's glyphs, black threads acting like stitches to hold the separated flesh together. Blood continued to ooze ever so slowly, perhaps more quickly with the extra exertion, but not enough for them to bleed out. At least, not bleed out sooner than Pride intended to kill them.

Their physical appearance wasn't what Pride was interested in. It was their mental growth that was far more important. They had realized their true potential now. So while the charge may have looked similar in nature, it was without a doubt different this time. To repeat that useless charge from before would be simple suicide. Pride would not forgive them if they threw away their given second chance with something pathetic like that. The closer they got and the more it looked like that was exactly what they intended to do. No spears of white light were warped and no pitch black matter was alchemically crafted.

Pride's smile at finally getting to resume the fight to define her existence slowly transformed into a scowl.

What were these twins playing at?

They were no longer worth her time if they would abandon the great power they'd been granted.

The twins were only ten feet away now. Joan raised her shield in front of herself, partially obscuring her face. Jaune slipped ahead of her. Just a step. The same way he had before. Pride turned Violet's body, adjusting the sheath so it was secure of her waist.

There was no katana in her hand.

Jaune leapt in the air. His body tucked in a ball and he stuck both feet parallel to the ground. Joan thrust her shield forward. Her twin kicked off it and flew straight for Pride. With the shield adjusting his course, he passed perfectly past Violet's Semblance.

His right hand reached for the sheath.

He never got close.

Pride snagged his right hand with her left. Violet's right hand then grabbed him by the front of the shirt. With all the grace of a professional wrestler, she flipped the younger man over her body.

His back hit the ground behind her. He gave a muffled grunt, gritting his teeth not to let the sound out. Pride stepped over him, dropping to her knees and pinning him at the waist. Her back was now to Joan but she didn't care. By herself, she couldn't get past Violet's Semblance.

Pride summoned a katana from another reality. One where she had stabbed Jaune in the stomach. A cough of blood spewed out between his closed lips. Even with a sword in his gut, he still refused to shout.

"Pathetic." Pride hissed.

She twisted the blade in his stomach but even still he refused to make a noise. She wanted him to suffer for his arrogance. For thinking he could beat her without his great powers. If he wasn't going to even make that entertaining than she really would end it right now.

Jaune tried to sit up.

Pride pushed him down by the chest.

And then stopped.

Something wasn't right. This wasn't right. Why wasn't this right?

She squeezed. "Jaune's" chest wasn't the one of a man…

...but the breast of a woman.

Looking closer, there was more wrong. In the heat of battle it was impossible to tell. Looking at "him" close now, she could see it. Pride didn't care about the differences between humans normally. Most times she couldn't tell them apart. To her Jaune wasn't an ordinary human.

The wraps around "his" hands were a little loose. The shirt and shorts a little too baggy. "He" was too short, shoulders not broad enough. The scraggly blonde hair was almost right, but somehow off. Like it had only just been chopped to that length by a sword.

This wasn't Jaune.

This was Joan.

Which meant the one she'd turned her back to. The "girl" in the red-checkered skirt. The one hiding "her" hair, hands and face with the shield. That was-

"Jau-" Pride whipped her head, purple ponytail flipping over her shoulder.

Jaune threw the shield like a discus. Despite the pain that caused his scarred hands. He threw it with all the strength he could.

It flew around Violet. Of course it did. By itself it couldn't bypass her Semblance. He was never by himself. And Pride had pinned his other half right where she needed to be.

There was a shimmer of air. A small refraction of light almost too invisible to see.

The shield bounced off that.

And ricocheted into Pride's true body.

The sheath was knocked loose. It hit the silver grass of Fae and skipped, spinning as if in slow motion.

There were infinite realities.

An infinite number of possibilities where Pride had won.

And an infinite number of them were Jaune had been the one to defeat her.

This was one such a reality.

The sheath bounced right into Jaune's outstretched hand.

There was a flash of light.

Pride was destroyed.

And Noir Arc was reborn.

* * *

 **Chapter End**


	70. The Villain of this Story

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _The Villain of This Story_

* * *

" _Please Jaune… free me from Gluttony."_

 _He hesitated._

 _Of course he hesitated._

 _In his eyes, I wasn't asking him to kill me._

 _Jaune Arc realized it after just this one conversation. He and I were the same. I had said as much too, but he realized on a deeper level that those words were true._

 _He had just absorbed my Envy. The fourth of my scattered fragments. With more than half of myself restored inside the glyphs, he was starting to realize the truth. The closer to the truth he got, the more my power began to return inside of him. The more I began to fill him._

 _If he absorbed this undead fragment of me along with all my scattered sins-_

 _I would be reborn._

 _And Jaune Arc would cease to exist._

 _No, that wasn't entirely correct. My Aura would suppress Jaune's, but he wouldn't simply die from something like that. Given enough time and he would, but short-term it would be like he was sleeping inside me more than anything._

" _Do not misunderstand, Jaune." I walked towards him. He tensed, scarred hands partially raising as if to ward me off._

" _Back off!" The girl known as Coco Adel lifted her gatling gun and pointed it at me. It was a meaningless gesture. Regardless of whatever these two thought about me, I was already dead._

 _I did not stop. Coco did not shoot. And Jaune did not reach for me with his glyphs._

 _I walked until I was right in front of him. He was tall, almost a full head taller than me. His blue eyes were the same color as mine. They reflected the same insecurities I felt. The same betrayal I felt._

 _Everyone in his family went on and on about how he and Joan were so similar. I supposed to those who hadn't seen two people truly similar, it might have appeared that way. I knew the truth, however. Jaune was far more like me than he could ever be to his twin._

 _They didn't know it, but I had always been there. Having been swallowed by my own Gluttony over a millenia ago, I had learned many handy tricks. Anything to get me out of that pit and away from all the other things it had consumed. For centuries I had watched over the family that betrayed me. Unseen by them all._

 _When every single one of the current generation was born, I had been there. Committing to memory the face of every single one. It wasn't out of hatred for them. Things like hatred and need for revenge were lost to me. So long as my Wrath was inside that shield and sword, I could not feel such things._

 _Just watching, in a way, was vindication enough. For over a thousand years I bore witness as my family endlessly repeated the same mistakes as their forefathers. Passing on my weapons which corrupt their wielders and marking a new glyph bearer, killing the generation before. The Arcs were cursed to live this cycle endlessly._

 _The signs of the curse were there and they didn't even notice it._

 _Their chronic motion-sickness that couldn't be explained by even modern medicine? That compulsion they felt to honor their promises, even to the point that it would kill them? Even when that promise was over a game like truth-or-dare? Mere side-effects to a greater evil that had nestled itself deep inside each and every one of their souls. It was a madness that they weren't even aware of._

 _One that caused Jaune's seven sisters to harm him in the deepest way possible._

 _I reached for him with my self-mangled hands, placing either one on Jaune's cheeks. "It's okay, now." I whispered. "You can be set free too. We can both break free from this cycle."_

 _His eyes darted to Olivia. His sister he had just saved. She was lying not far from him, completely vulnerable to the world. That truth would not change after she woke up. Society would not forgive them for what they had done. Even if it was my weapons who had acted on their own urges._

 _My Lust who just wanted to feel the heat of the flames._

 _My Greed who wanted all the credit for the accomplishments of others._

 _My Wrath who simply wanted to cause pain._

 _My Envy who had only wanted to be seen as a human._

 _My Sloth who wanted nothing at all._

 _My Gluttony who wanted to consume everything._

 _And my Pride who wanted to prove herself the best._

 _Everyone thought they had worked together but that was not true at all. Sure, they had cooperated at least a little, but only so long as they had mutual goals. They had never truly been allies which is what led to their demise one at a time and what would continue to do so._

 _They were all once apart of me. Yet I had no control of them. This had not been my plan. Having desires was something I had long since forgotten how to even do. I had long since parted with the feelings that used to exist in my soul. I could not deny that those feelings came from inside me. No less than they existed inside every human._

 _The difference between me and my sinful fragments was I had more emotions than just the one they had been created from. I had inhibitions that kept me from selfishly acting on the desires they had no problem displaying. I once had a family I had loved and to me that was so much more important than all those things._

 _The same was for Jaune._

 _He loved his family._

 _The problem was that Jaune had also come to love the world._

 _He'd made irreplaceable friends, had found someone he loved, and had taken an interest in the lives and cities devastated by the swords. As he was now, Jaune could never truly save his sisters. If he had stayed the way he was before it would have been possible. Now there was no way for him to sacrifice what was necessary. Too many things had become invaluable to him._

 _If he didn't give up something, he would lose everything._

 _I guess it couldn't be helped. I was just going to have to make that sacrifice for him then._

" _What are you going to do?" His eyes returned to me._

 _I smiled. "I'm going to become the villain of this story."_

There was a flash of light.

One second, Noir Arc had been standing in front of Jaune on top of the burnt remains of his home. The next and she was in a whole other realm, one that only briefly interacted with Remnant.

She thought such a random and sudden change would be confusing, but it wasn't at all. In fact, Noir could remember everything that happened that led to her standing here. Even though in her frame of reference there had only been a split second between the switch, she had all the memories from her now returned fragments completely intact.

Sloth's frustration as Jaune absorbed her. The helplessness her Gluttony felt as five of the Arc siblings overpowered her. The pure blank shock of Pride who never fully comprehended what had just happened.

Noir looked up. The sky was blue. It looked so blue. She closed her eyes and felt the gentle breeze on her skin. The fabric of clothes clinging to her. She wiggled her toes, feeling them rub against the soles of the shoes she was in.

Glancing down at herself, she realized she was in a Beacon Uniform. Joan's uniform to be exact. She pat at the skirt she was wearing to be sure, feeling the outline of the underwear she wore. Yep, Jaune's alright. So those twins had at least kept their own undergarments on when they swapped clothes.

Noir reached up with one mangled hand, placing it over her chest and squeezing. It was undoubtedly the breast of a woman. Although… she was kind of small compared to Joan. Pride's shock was still fresh in her memory from when she started to put together the truth.

With a flick of her head, she sent a long ponytail over her shoulder. It was as pitch black as she remembered from when she was alive. The little hands that felt the silk-like threads of hair were also hers. Everything attached to a torso far too thin and lacking in proper nutrients. There was no mistaking it. This was her body.

Despite the fact that Jaune was taller than her, his shoulders more broad, and that he had an extra lump of flesh that she must certainly was lacking, her body had completely overwritten his.

It was only natural.

Her Aura had suppressed his. Aura was the manifestation of the soul, so of course the body was going to take the shape of the soul in control. Even if his body was larger and different in almost every way from hers.

It felt good to be alive.

It wasn't a feeling she could relish in for long.

Glinting just beneath her was a red sword. It was Joan's sword, formerly belonging to her partner. Just before the switch, it had been Jaune who was wielding it. Despite the fact that his hands would never properly allow him to wield a weapon, he had done so for the sake of his sister.

Noir bent down and picked it up.

"What do you think you're doing!?" The owner of that sword called out, her hostility clear.

Joan was standing only a little more than fifteen feet away, although from here it looked like a simple breeze would be all it took to knock her back over. Her left arm hung almost uselessly, the gouge from Pride still spurting out blood every so often. Now too she had a gaping hole in her stomach, tearing right through Jaune's orange shirt that she was wearing.

She also didn't look terribly surprised by this turn of events. One second she had been fighting by her twin, the next he had transformed into a black-haired woman. Of course, The Queen had said something about their senses being more attuned to one another as twins of Fae blood, so maybe she had somehow sensed this from him?

"Please do not misunderstand." Noir held up her left hand in surrender, while slowly miming the gesture of an underhand toss with the one holding the sword. "I'm just returning it." She then let the sword go and it sailed in a slow arc towards Jaune's twin sister.

It hadn't been a threatening toss and wouldn't have even reached her anyways, but that didn't stop Violet's Semblance from redirecting it further. The red sword stabbed into the ground just in front of their feet.

The eldest Arc sister was hanging off Joan's right shoulder, barely holding onto consciousness. Which made the death glare she managed to muster up all the more impressive, orange eyes gleaming with dangerous killer intent.

"I'm only going to say this once." Even exhausted as she was and hanging off her sister for support, Violet still managed to somehow sound strong and full of a fierce, dark charisma you only rarely saw. "Give. Me. Back. My. Little. Brother."

"Hmm," Noir lifted one of her mangled fingers and placed it on her chin as if in contemplation. "How about…" She drawled long and slowly. "You give me one good reason why I should?"

If it was possible, the intensity of Violet's glare multiplied threefold and she started to push off Joan. Her younger sister struggled to hold her in place, all the while looking almost pleadingly at Noir. "Please, hasn't our family been through enough? He's our brother and he fought so hard to save us." She seemed to think she had a better chance reasoning with their ancestor than holding their eldest sister down for long. "He doesn't deserve this-"

"You're right." Noir nodded. Joan blinked in place of having been cut off and even Violet stopped for a moment. "He didn't deserve any of this. And you don't deserve to call him your brother. If you think I'm going to release Jaune back into your hands, just so you can break him all over again? You're very sadly mistaken." Her voice wasn't hard or cruel, instead telling them this in monotone as if reading the forecast.

"The hell did you say?" Which stood in stark contrast to Violet's increasingly hostile tone.

"Ha…" Noir let out an unsurprised, but all the same disappointed sigh. These sisters of course wouldn't know the truth. Noir hadn't explained it to them the way she had to Jaune. "What I'm saying is that you sisters are no better than my brothers who betrayed and killed me with their own hands. It would have only been a matter of time before you killed him too. Either directly or indirectly, it didn't matter. It would have been the end result from how cruelly you treated him."

That was right. Jaune had nearly been broken to the point beyond repair. If his mother hadn't put things into motion when she did, it was entirely possible he would have never been up to the task she left him with. Going to Beacon saved him. Meeting Yang and the others saved him. All from his sisters who did nothing but hurt him.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Violet snarled. "We had a plan. Amethyst and I… and the rest of our sisters. We were going to save Jaune. We were going to create a world where the swords weren't needed anymore."

"Save him…?" Noir tilted her head as if confused, long black hair swinging with the motion. Then she threw her head back, letting out a loud, short laugh. "You really are the worst! I feel so sorry for Jaune, having such terrible sisters as you."

Wrath was a part of Noir again. It was a feeling she was capable of now that she was alive and all her sins returned. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to hate these girls for all they'd done. It wasn't their fault. All the same, it was too late for them.

"Jaune didn't need you to save him." Noir continued, pointing a trembling finger right at Violet. "He didn't need to be made the damsel in distress, some princess in a castle waiting to be rescued. What Jaune did not need was a hero. What he needed were his sisters. His family. You were just so caught up with the idea of trying to "save" him, you lost sight of what it was you should have even been saving him from."

If they had only been there for him. If they hadn't run all over the world flaunting how great they were while they made him stay at home and feel weak. Hiding him away like some fragile doll that would break with the slightest amount of handling. To the point that was all he believed he was himself.

"Even if you had somehow succeeded and created a world free from the swords, you would have come back to find a ghost of the person you had spent all that time fighting for. You abandoned your brother so you could become the heroine you wanted to be and just used the excuse "I'm trying to save him" to make you feel better about yourself. Don't pretend it was anything more than that."

Joan no longer tried to hold Violet back, not having the strength to keep her eldest sister in check. Not that she had to. Instead of trying to fight Noir, Violet was now fighting an internal battle with herself. No matter how hard she tried to reject those words, there was no denying the underlying truth that was in them.

"You-" His twin gave a small hiccup, tears rolling down either cheek. "You're mistaken about Jaune. Our brother- my twin was stronger than that. He loved us. And we all loved him."

"That's the same logic an abusive husband uses to keep his wife around." Noir had seen things like that even during her age, over a millennia ago. It wasn't just the Arcs that hadn't changed, but humanity itself. "He tells everyone he didn't mean to hit her. It's not his fault. He's stressed out and the alcohol made him do it. But it's okay. Because he loves her and he'll never do it again. No one believes him. Yet no one ever does anything either. Because his wife defends him too. She goes back to him, knowing he'll strike her again anyways. All because she loves him and doesn't have the confidence in herself to leave him. Jaune is in the exact same relationship with all of you."

Certainly they had never physically struck Jaune but the mental damage they had caused him was just as bad. In a way, it was also the same. It wasn't just love that kept a beaten wife around. Noir had already said it, but it was also a lack of self-confidence. She would tell herself it was her fault he struck her. If she would just be better. If she could just prove to him that she was a person that deserved his love and not his anger, it would all stop. She fed herself these lies and convinced herself it was her fault, not his. How could the man she loved; such a kind, compassionate lover, be capable of such cruelty if it wasn't her fault?

Jaune was the same. He doubted his value as their brother. How could he not? They constantly showed off to the world how great they were. Yet every time he left his house and told someone his name it was always the same. "They had a brother?" Every single person would ask. It was a shock to him at first. But over time he came to accept it. Of course his sisters did not speak about him. What had he ever done to deserve being spoken of? He was weak, a disgrace to their family name. It was better if others didn't know he existed. He told himself this until he believed it. After all, it was the only thing that made sense. It couldn't possibly be the fault of his sisters who were perfect in every way. So naturally it had to be the imperfect him who was at fault.

This was how he and Joan were truly different. Even now and like her big sister, Joan couldn't say anything in response to Noir's harsh critique. How could she? She'd been confronted on her sins once already. She realized how cruelly she'd treated him, not with her actions but with her inactions. It was at this point that Noir realized she didn't just have her sin's memories but Jaune's too.

She knew about how Yang had confronted Joan. Jaune hadn't faulted her for doing such a thing but he hadn't agreed with it either. Simply because he did not believe Joan had been the one at fault. It all came back to those insecurities. He told himself he was at fault, but at the same time he felt something he never experienced before. Someone had yelled at his twin sister. Yelled at her for his sake.

How unusual? Jaune didn't know what to make of that. He wanted to berate Yang for sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Yet at the same time he fell more in love with her because she had the strength to do something he could not. She had the guts to look one of his perfect sister's in the eye and tell them what they were doing was wrong. It was something he could never even dream of doing anymore.

When he was younger it was possible. He had yelled at Autumn and Ciel numerous times. Even he and Joan had gotten into disagreements. As he got older and the damage to his psyche grew, it was something he eventually forgot how to do. To the point that the only one left to fight his battles had been Joan. That all ended when he came to Beacon and met others who would also fight for him. After he had already been made to have to fight himself.

Now in the same way he hadn't been able to defend himself, his sisters were unable to defend themselves against Noir.

"So now I ask you." Since neither of them would speak, Noir decided to prompt them to. She still wanted to hear their answer. They had not yet proven to her that they deserved their brother back. "What would you do if you saw such a situation? You knew you could change it and you had the opportunity. The world wouldn't condemn you for it because that man was already evil in their eyes. Wouldn't you strike him down? Isn't that the right thing to do?"

"Is that what you're going to do to us?" Violet asked. Her strength appeared to be returning, the influence of Pride finally beginning to wear off. "You're the hero come to strike down us villains? You just said Jaune didn't need to be saved but isn't that exactly what you're trying to do?"

Noir had to raise one of her damaged hands to stifle the giggle she let out. "Oh goodness, no. I would never presume to be the hero. I am also not trying to save Jaune. I'm simply making the choice for him that he never could. In the first place, being the hero isn't possible for me. It was my fragments that ran wild and murdered thousands over the past month. Even now, you and the others are no doubt thinking of ways to spin this narrative to make it all look like my fault. I've already accepted what my role in this story will be."

"You're saying this isn't your fault?" It wasn't a question that Violet asked, even if it sounded like one. Her mind on the matter was already made up. Of course this was all Noir's fault. It might as well have been her that took over them all and used their bodies to cause all those tragedies. It didn't matter that it had been their mother that started this and not her. If they had a choice between condemning their own mother and condemning some ancestor they didn't even know, it was obvious where they were going to choose to lay the blame.

This was something Noir had not counted on. Before regaining her Pride, she had simply assumed it had been her own sins that had started all of this. She had told Jaune as much after he regained her Envy. Not a single word she had spoken to him that day had been a lie. There was no need to lie because her intent had been clear. It was her duty to take responsibility for her own sins who had gone rampant all on their own.

Only to discover the truth just minutes ago. Or had she known for over a month now? Pride had certainly known for that amount of time but Noir did not have Pride's knowledge until Jaune reclaimed it. Regardless of which way you viewed it, Noir did not have Pride when she talked with Jaune and so she was not able to give him the proper answer. Just her best theory. Never would she have guessed it was someone else who started this. Least of all, one of The Fae and Jaune's own mother. She could make the correction, but it would only fall upon deaf ears.

"I'm saying that it doesn't matter what I say." Noir answered all the same. She supposed a small bit of her wrath and envy were coming into play, because she kind of wanted to pick on Violet some. "You've all made up your minds that I'm to be the villain so there's no choice for me but to play that part. However, that alone isn't going to be enough to save you all. This story still needs its hero."

No matter what, Noir was going to be painted as the one who perpetrated all of this. Even though she hadn't sought revival herself. Without the sin of Envy to be jealous of something like living, she wouldn't have been able to wish for it anyways. Only an idiot would have wanted to be brought back to life in this world. This was just an unintended consequence of their mother's actions. It didn't matter that Noir wasn't her sins. It didn't matter that she had gotten dragged into this just like the rest of them. If she was doomed to this fate no matter what she did, she was going to make use of her short-lived resurrection to be at least a little selfish.

"What story are you even talking about?" Violet seemed to sense Noir was building towards something. Her body tensed, stance widening and arms coming up in preparation for combat.

"The one the whole world is going to accept as the truth of course." Noir spread her arms wide and looked up at the rich, blue sky.

"I, Noir Arc, the great villain who created the Seven Sacred Swords, one day took over the bodies of all seven Arc sisters and used them to murder thousands." She spun around, as if addressing an audience full of people. When she came to a stop, the only two there were the Arc sisters.

"My motives?" She didn't care. Placing a hand over her chest, she looked down and pretended to ponder the question.

"There will be theories but it'll all be simple speculation. Maybe my soul was tainted by all the Grimm that were killed? Maybe I was getting revenge on my family? It doesn't matter because they will have someone to point a finger at and that is all they will need." Her voice was full of vibrato and life complete unlike anything she had been capable the whole time she was dead.

"Then the tragic story of the Arc sisters, who I used to accomplish my evil deeds. Those poor girls who were accused of horrendous crimes they had no control over. And finally their brother. The boy who saved the world. After I expanded all my Aura to kill his sisters, who died trying to win control back. It was he who landed the final blow and banished my soul once and for all." So this was the difference between having her complete personality and lacking anything at all.

She had been capable of faking before, acting like how she thought she did while alive. In the end and act was just an act and could not possibly compare to the real emotions that surged through her body and moved her now.

Noir looked back down at the two Arc sisters, huge grin splitting her face. Neither one returned the expression. "It's got a nice underdog ring to it, does it not? Of course, this is all how I simply imagine they will present it. There might be some tweaks and other minor details, but that is the truth the world at large will likely come to accept. They may even make a movie on it someday. Your society seems to love things like that."

The truth was there were no such things as heroes and villains. There were just people. People with different perspectives. Everyone wanted a perspective to get behind and one that validated their own. Noir being the "villain" was going to be the easiest way for the world to do that.

"Wait…" Joan stumbled up next to her elder sister, leaning on her for support. The stab wound in her stomach was still bleeding and she'd placed a hand over it to try and stifle the flow. Even so, she'd lost enough blood now for things to start becoming fuzzy. Which was why she thought she might have just misheard a part in Noir's story.

"Make no mistake." Noir lowered her hands, smile slipping into an almost sympathetic frown. "Jaune has to make a choice." One he couldn't do on his own anymore.

"You." His family who did nothing but hurt him.

"Or the world." And all those at Beacon who had healed him.

If she didn't do this, Jaune might not do anything. Before Beacon, his choice would have been obvious. He would have fought the whole world to save his sisters. Now he cared for the world too. And if Jaune did nothing, he would lose everything. So was it better to protect the sisters that hurt him or the world that healed him? Even if Jaune couldn't make that choice, Noir could do it for him.

That was what she meant when she told him she would become the villain. Not for this story, but for him.

"Heh, you're so caught in the idea of trying to save him, you seem to have forgot what you're even trying to save him from." Violet shot back the words Noir had given her earlier. "You just want to hurt us. Don't pretend it's anything more than that."

"Hmm," Noir closed her eyes and gave a small nod. "I suppose that is also true. My brothers betrayed me. So it does feel kind of cathartic to finally get to take that out on people who were exactly like them. It's been so long since I've had my sins a part of me I've actually forgotten what it was like to have my own desires."

That was right. Noir realized a long time ago that her swords were evil and that one day it would end up this way or worse. It only made sense in hindsight. Everything had an equal cost. That was the basis behind her Semblance and it was a reflection of Noir's most basic belief as a human being with a soul. So it went without saying that swords given life by the most evil part of a human soul would be nothing less than evil themselves.

It was this evil that drove her brothers mad. It was this evil that led the only man she ever felt womanly desire towards to murder her father. The swords were evil-

But her family was even worse for having been taken in by that evil. The swords knew only bad, so of course you couldn't blame the swords for being bad. However, humans knew both good and bad. They had the capacity for making a distinction between what was right and what was wrong. And for the past thousand years they continually chose wrong without fail. With only the slightest nudge from evil, they gave into that curse every time.

The surviving people of Arc blood were weak. Noir had tried to make the right choice. She had been a wielder of one of the swords before she was a glyph bearer and still she chose the path of good. She chose to destroy those that were pure evil. Yet her brothers chose to protect it and killed her who had made the morally correct choice. Her brothers made the same choice Violet and all her other sisters would have also made if their mother hadn't intervened. Was it really so wrong to make sure those people could no longer get another chance to make that choice?

Even if the swords were gone, the world was full of temptation. The Arc sisters would have to choose between right and between wrong for the rest of their lives. They had already been taken in by evil once. So it went without saying they would do it again. Unlike Jaune, who had rejected compatibility with any of the swords. He was the only one of them to choose good. He was the only one to reject all her sins and because he made that choice, he was the one forced to bear them all.

Speaking of her sins, Noir reached inside herself and found the first one she had ever been separated from. Drawing it to the surface, her right hand began to glow. There was a flash of light and suddenly a rapier appeared where before there had been nothing.

Its name was Fia Vesta.

At least, that was the name it had been given after she died and what Jaune had known it as when he first destroyed it over a month ago. What were those words her sword had said then back when they met? Ah, that was right.

"Now then. Would you do me a favor…" Noir smiled. "And for the sake of this story-"

A pillar of fire erupted from the tip of the rapier and surged towards the Arc sisters.

"Burst into flames for me."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** The title of this chapter was lifted directly from the title of a song by a band called Machinae Supremacy.

The beginning in italics was a continuation of the conversation between Jaune and Noir from chapter 50. I did mention that I would come back to it eventually. Only took twenty chapters.

I've joked about this before and I know several reviews have also pointed it out, but the set-up for this story was a lot like a cheesy JRPG. Rather than try and get away from the parallels that made it like that, I decided it was more fun to embrace them. Which does also sometimes make things predictable, such as this plot twist with Noir.

When I first started, she was supposed to be the primary antagonist in every sense of the word. This was all her scheme to seek revival and get revenge on the family that murdered her. I also toyed with the idea that she'd gone crazy from living for so long, her soul corrupted by all the Grimm killed. Both of these ideas got scrapped, but I did poke fun at myself for having considered them with Noir's lines herself in this chapter. In the end, I think those ideas made Noir too one-dimensional a character. I wanted something where Noir was still an antagonist but was also a victim of the events. After deciding this, I came up with the idea to use Jaune's mother as the catalyst and it's the main reason behind that twist.

Natzo has once again posted some awesome fanart for the story and as always I put the link on my profile page if you're interested in checking it out. This time it's Amethyst surrounded by some of her undead summons. Noir is also featured in it if you were looking for a good visual representation of her.


	71. Black and White

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Black and White_

* * *

Was this all her fault?

Everything she ever did had been for her family.

That was what Violet always told herself.

Nothing was more important than family.

Had all that really been nothing more than lip-service?

The father she hated was dead now. Killed by her own hand. She could still remember it vividly as Pride used her body to do it. Violet couldn't count the number of times she had envisioned herself doing it. Never did she think she actually would.

As much as she hated him, he had still been her father. There was no joy in knowing he was dead. There was an emptiness. A regret for having never been able to forgive him. Having never tried to talk to him. To understand him.

Maybe if she had just tried to understand him, she could have stopped herself from making the same mistakes he made. Maybe if she hadn't tried to change the world, but instead tried to change herself and her family, her mother wouldn't have felt the need to go through with this plan. Maybe they would both be alive right now.

Maybe her little brother wouldn't have been taken over by their ancestor.

None of that mattered now.

Fire and death raged all around her.

"Vi…" Joan slipped, nearly falling away from her big sister, blue eyes rolling up into the back of her head.

"Joan!" Violet wrapped her arm protectively around her sister's waist, collapsing to her knees to keep her within the effects of her Semblance. For all the good it would do. Joan was bleeding out. The wound on her shoulder was only slowly leaking blood thanks to the black sutures, but her stomach had yet to receive any treatment.

If it wasn't blood loss that took her first, then it was going to be the lack of air. It wasn't in a metaphorical sense that fire and death raged around them, but a literal one. Walls of flame surrounded them in every direction, not even an arms length away. Only being staved off by Violet's powerful Semblance.

Noir Arc really meant to kill them.

Violet wanted to hate her. Noir had taken control of her brother's body, repressing him inside her. She had been the one to forge the Seven Sacred Arc Swords. She was the first glyph bearer, the one who started the tradition. All this tragedy could be traced directly back to her. So it should have been so easy to hate her.

Yet she couldn't. Noir had been right about one thing. This evil had happened because Violet hurt her younger brother. It hadn't been intentional, but it was the truth. Violet always knew it. She knew she was hurting him, but she had told herself it was to save him. She believed he would be able to endure it. Just a little longer, she always told herself. Just a little longer.

Was it really so wrong for Noir to want to make sure she never hurt him again? If Violet was in Noir's shoes, she would do the same. Anyone that hurt her brother was trash. Even if that person was herself. Violet could accept all that anger aimed at herself. What she couldn't accept was that it was also aimed at the rest of her sisters too. Even if Noir was right about one thing, there were many things she was also wrong about.

So Violet had to fight.

How was she supposed to fight?

Her sister was hurt and dying in her arms. They were both pinned down by these flames. There was no end to them. By herself she might have been able to escape, but with Joan barely hanging onto consciousness it would be impossible. One mistake and the fire would take her.

So what should she do? Being indecisive was never a problem the eldest Arc sister dealt with. Her path always seemed so obvious. Why was that? It wasn't a question she needed to ask. She always had a purpose. There was always something driving her forward.

And there had always been someone by her side to help.

The flames stopped.

The area around them was distorted, the superheated air rapidly dissipated and creating visible waves overtop the scorched earth that had once been silver blades of grass.

Through the haze she could barely make out Noir's shape. Their ancestor hadn't run out of Ambience and she hadn't been checking to see if Violet was still alive. No, she had been forced to stop in order to protect herself.

A sports-ball sized orb bounced and reflected off Fia Vesta. Dirty blonde hair whirled and a tiny body wound up for a powerful kick. The white heel of her boot sent the ball flying back at Noir.

"Lily…" The floppy dog ears on either side of her head twitched, picking up Violet's whisper of pure disbelief even from this distance. Her partner turned, dirty blonde hair still raised from the movement. Brown eyes met orange.

She winked. With that same perpetual smile she always had, her partner told her without words that it was going to be okay. She was here for her and she was going to do whatever needed to be done. The same way she always had for her.

There was a shift, the air around them changing as something with mass entered the airspace behind them. Violet didn't have to turn around to know what it was. A petite arm wrapped around her waist, bypassing her Semblance not because of some power. It was just because her Semblance automatically knew this person meant them no harm.

"You're getting sloppy. Leader." Rue Sylvia said as she blinked them away from Noir. One second they were within eyesight of the ongoing fight and the next they weren't.

None of the scars from the previous battle or the silver plains were visible any more. They were in an entirely new terrain entirely now. Rue's Semblance in Fae was much stronger than on Remnant, capable of traveling unfathomable distances in the blink of an eye. Just like this.

Now they were on what you could probably only call a root. Calling it a root also felt wrong, because it didn't describe the sheer size and scale of what it was they were on. It wasn't an exaggeration to say you could have fit the entirely of Beacon Academy on here twice and still had room to spare.

Above them and towering endlessly into the sky was a tree so massive in width, Violet couldn't even see where it started to turn, giving it the appearance of a giant wall made entirely of wood. The only reason she knew it was a tree at all was that she'd seen it before.

This was the center of Fae and this tree was called Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Everything in Fae began at Yggdrasil and ended at Yggdrasil. It was a hard concept to wrap her mind around, because Fae was supposedly endless. It stretched across all realities and all times. Yet somehow it always came back here to this tree.

None of which was important right now.

Violet had bigger things to worry about. Such as the sister dying in her arms. Not to mention that they just abandoned Lily to fight one on one with someone who could summon all seven of the Sacred Arc Swords.

"We have to go back." Violet turned to her white-haired teammate. It had been some time since she last saw Rue, but she didn't look much different. Powerful silver eyes, white hair looped into twintails, and dressed completely in blacks and whites.

" _I_ have to go back. _You_ are not going anywhere." Rue glared down at Violet, her tone that same haunting one she always had. Despite having never beaten Violet in a spar, she still talked to her with an air of superiority. "Unless you plan to fight without a weapon?"

"I'm not leaving my partner behind. Weapon or no." The last time Violet had seen Lily, Pride had been trying to kill her. She didn't want that to be the last conversation she ever had with her partner. She had so much to say to her. She had to make up for all the times she'd never thanked her. She had to apologize for all the times she should have praised her but instead was too embarrassed to say it properly.

"Just sit tight and worry about your sister." Rue flicked a single finger towards Joan, diverting Violet's eyes for just a second. "Leave Lily to me." Before she could look back up, Rue was gone.

"Let me see her." The high pitched voice to her left nearly caused Violet to jump. Had it not been a familiar tone and she just might have. Joan was shifted from her grasp, but Violet simply allowed it to happen as she turned to her pink-haired teammate. A girl with a crown of daisies, a flowery one piece dress and no shoes so to speak.

"Wanda." She greeted. Just like Rue, she hadn't changed much since the last time they met. "You're all here."

"Of course we are." Wanda smiled gently, little green fairies flying in from the sky to set about healing both of Joan's wounds. "We can't be team Flower without our leader. Even though we've been apart these past couple years, we're still here for you. Just like you have always been for us."

"That's not what I meant." Violet spoke low and gently, not wishing to disturb her teammate while she focused on the task at hand. "Why aren't you three at Beacon? I thought you would have been there when the battle started."

"Your aunt called us." Wanda nodded behind her and Violet finally took notice of the other two here with them. She had assumed they were still back at the silver fields, but Rue must have brought them here first while she was still under Pride's influence.

The Queen stood only fifteen feet away, looking as regal as always with her hair just like Violet's own if not for the red highlights throughout. Ozpin was next to her, eyes hidden behind his spectacles.

Violet rose to her feet, straightening her back and lifting her chin as she addressed The Queen. Her aunt. "I would say thank you, but I know you're not doing this because you want to." Even without Pride's memories of The Queen saying just that, she knew what kind of creature she was.

There was a smile. Almost imperceptible if not for the slight change in weather that came along with it. "As petulant as ever, aren't you child?"

"So why are you helping me?" Violet didn't bother with the polite conversation. The Queen had already told Pride that their mom had given her three favors to Jaune. So if she was helping her now too, it was because of something else entirely.

"You really think the favors granted to a Fae of royal blood are worth the same value as those granted to a human?" The Queen asked, her voice emotionless yet somehow carrying with it in the air itself a sense of wicked sarcasm.

Violet didn't respond right away. Instead she mulled silently over the Queen's puzzle. Everything in Fae was worth some kind of value of three. If she thought about it that way, it at least supported why The Queen would help both her and Jaune. So if she assumed that each one of her mother's favors was worth three by itself, that meant there was one other person she had given them too.

The only way to get her questions answered was to ask directly. The Queen couldn't lie outright, but she could be indirect if she wanted. "Who is the third person you owe favors to and what are the three favors you owe to me?"

"Petulant _and_ Perceptive." The Queen almost looked to frown, no doubt feeling somewhat slighted that Violet wasn't going to try and play her game of riddles. She glanced to Ozpin and the Headmaster stepped forward.

"I am the third person your mother passed three favors onto. I was there that night everything happened specifically at your mother's invitation. Never did I imagine it would be for something like what this has become." It was impossible to tell what kind of expression it was Ozpin was making right now, but it almost felt like it was some form of regret.

"You?" Violet again considered the implications of such a thing. Had their mother done it to earn favor with the Headmaster so he would offer Jaune his help and protection? It would certainly explain why he had done so much for them ever since this started. Their mother had planned for this.

"Indeed. Me." Ozpin adjusted his glasses, giving her a strained smile. "And for the reasons you probably suspect. The nature of my favors are for me to decide." Which just meant they were a form of payment and nothing else.

"I see." Violet now understood Ozpin's expression. He was concerned she was judging him for helping not because he had wanted to, but because he had been paid too. "Thank you for all the help you've given us." She didn't care about such things like that right now. The means weren't important. Jaune wouldn't have made it past the first night without his help, that was the truth.

"Of course." Ozpin inclined his head. It would have been easy for him to offer some kind of excuse. To say he would have helped them regardless. He knew just as much as Violet did that she didn't want to hear such things and there would be no benefit in hearing them either.

"Now then." The Queen spoke and Ozpin fell back into step with her. She held up a single finger, indicating the first favor. "You need a weapon. I brought your team here to gather it for you. It would appear they completed this objective and it has been finished."

The ground at Violet's feet shifted. The wood of the root bent and contort until something slowly began rising out from within. With a small trace of hesitance, Violet bent down and reached for it. She pulled free a wooden stick from the root with the same effort it would have taken to remove something from the mud.

She stared at the stick in awe, realizing now what it truly was. A weapon, more specifically a bokken. It was blunt and shaped just like the practice swords she saw them train with in Mistral Huntsmen dojos. Yet it felt like so much more than that, raw power emitting from every fibre of its existence. "This is-"

"The most accurate word for it would be a splinter." The Queen finished her sentence for her. "A minuscule fragment ripped from one of the highest branches of Yggdrasil itself and then fashioned into shape by my own servants. While it certainly lacks the reality bending capabilities of your old weapon, I'm certain you'll find it to be a worthy replacement."

Violet couldn't even find the words to say when The Queen extended another finger. "The second favor I've granted you is my permission to fight here in this land. If you desire to save your brother, you are welcome to attempt so here. Seems only fitting as he just did the same for you."

Which meant Jaune really could be saved. Violet hadn't doubted this for a minute, but hearing it vocally from a creature that couldn't lie was all the more reassuring.

All the same, Violet felt a small sense of reservation. She could save Jaune. That was a good thing, but... she also remembered Noir's words. Jaune didn't need to be saved. He had only needed someone to be there for him. How was she supposed to do that now that he was no longer here? The fact of the matter was, it had already gotten to the point where he needed to be saved. Unless... he didn't?

It was a strange thought, but maybe there was something Violet was supposed to do here that didn't have anything to do with trying to save him? Noir had taken over Jaune and wanted nothing more than to fight and kill her. Noir was going to use Jaune for that... Noir and Jaune. Was that the solution to all this? Violet had been thinking of them as separate people with separate problems. But that wasn't completely accurate. From the moment Jaune had been branded, he had a part of Noir stuck into him. So many of his insecurities were born from Noir's own.

If that was the case... There was only one thing she needed to do to stop this.

The Queen then raised her third finger. Before she could explain what that favor was, Rue warped back onto the root, bringing their last teammate with her. "Lily." Violet turned away from The Queen, forgetting all about her and jogging to her partner.

"Hehehe," Lily's grin was so wide it practically split her face. "I thought Rue was pullin' my leg when she said you were worried about me."

"Idiot." Violet averted her eyes, looking up at the branches high above their heads. "Of course I would worry. You're my partner…" She started before adding in a hush. "...and my best friend."

"Pfft," She had only meant for Lily to hear it with her enhanced faunus ears. She had forgotten how differently sound travelled in Fae. Rue doubled over, letting out a loud bellow of laughter completely unfit for her character. "Are you actually Violet?" She asked between gasps for breath. "Or is the sword hiding somewhere pretending to be good now?"

"That- That's not funny!" Violet tried and failed to control the growing heat tinting her cheeks, stomping her foot repeatedly. Seriously, wasn't it way too soon to be making jokes about that kind of thing?

"Aww... don't be so embarrassed, partner!" Lily tackled into her, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I love you too!"

"I did not use the word "love" or anything like it!" Violet tried to pull her partner off her, only to find her cling a little more tightly. Almost desperately so. It was only then that she realized Lily was trembling.

"Pride told me…" Lily whispered, even so quietly that Rue couldn't hear. "That I was only the closest thing to a friend you had. I tried not to let it bother me… but I really had thought we were closer than that. To know I really am your best friend…"

Violet tried not to sigh and instead of further attempting to pull Lily off her, wrapped her arms around her a little more tightly. "Pride was a lot of things." She whispered back. "One of them wasn't being good at figuring out how humans feel."

"Your sister is healed." Wanda stepped away from Joan just as Lily and Violet pulled apart. Crouching down next to her sister, Violet saw both wounds good as new, only tiny scars in their place. She expected nothing less from the faeries Wanda communicated with. Joan's chest now slowly rose and fell as her eyes started to flutter. Any minute now and she might wake up.

Ozpin approached, his footfalls echoing against the root he walked upon. "My time in Fae is up." He said, crouching next to her. "Would you like me to take young Joan back to Beacon with me?"

"Please." Violet gently lifted her sister, passing her to Ozpin as delicately as she could. "You've been a big help."

"I'm just atoning in my own way." Ozpin's tone contained with it so much regret, Violet couldn't possibly tell where it was all coming from. She decided too it was better not to ask and the headmaster disappeared without her being able to say anything more, taking her sister with him.

She would reunite with her again soon. First, she had to settle things with Noir.

"Thank you. All of you." Violet stood back up and turned to her team. After everything Pride had done, they were still here with her. In a land not even of their home world. They may not have been blood, but Violet considered them her sisters all the same. "Will you help me one more time?" She asked, grip tightening on the wooden bokken they retrieved for her.

Lily threw both hands behind her head, huge grin spreading across her face. "Of course!"

Wanda inclined her head, performing a small curtsey with her dress. "It would be must wonderful to fight under your guidance once again."

Rue placed a hand on her hip, tilting her head and giving the cocky smirk she had long ago perfected. "Suppose there's no helping it. You need us, after all."

"Good." Violet nodded at their expected response, no longer feeling like she could lose. She turned to look over the vast expanses of Fae. "Then let's go.

"I still have to give Noir Arc my answer."

* * *

A small groan escaped the blonde girl's lips, lilac eyes fluttering open as she regained consciousness. "W-what happened?" She croaked, trying to push herself off the broken slab of concrete she'd been propped against.

"Easy there." Amethyst crouched down, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Just sit still for a while. You're injured." She glanced the well-endowed girl up and down once again.

She was worse for wear, lower torso heavily bandaged to stop the bleeding while her Aura worked to heal it. The muffler that she usually wore had been removed and there was a jagged scar across her throat. When Amethyst first met her while suppressed by Gluttony, she had long flowing hair. Now it was only shoulder length.

"Everyone else? Ruby?" The girl Amethyst thought might be named Yang was slowly starting to come to her senses and began turning her head to look around. Just next to her was the one person she called by name. Rouge's friend slept next to the blonde, her own torso bandaged to cover a wound that had been in the same spot.

Other than them, it was only Amethyst right now. The three of them were right in front of Beacon's famous statue. Rather, what was left of it. Ciel had breathed life into the Huntsman and Huntress depicted on it to help her with the task she'd been sent to do.

"Most of them have been moved to the infirmary." Amethyst answered, red eyes still looking at where the statue had once been. "Professor Goodwitch has set up a barricade there to keep all the injured safe."

"Safe?" Yang suddenly gave a knee-jerk reaction, seemingly realizing who it was that she was talking with. The shock only last a second and she relaxed, content with the knowledge that Gluttony was no longer in control.

"The Grimm have started to move in." They had been attracted by the negativity and with almost everyone at Beacon out of commission, there were many helpless ripe for the picking. "Rouge and Ciel are trying to contain them right now." With their abilities working together, Amethyst had no doubt they could do quite a bit. They couldn't be everywhere at once, however.

"Meanwhile, Autumn and Olivia are scouting for survivors." The younger girl was able to find them easily enough with her Semblance, while the older would be responsible for carrying them to the infirmary so Glynda could protect them as the last line of defense.

That was the plan Amethyst had proposed anyways. How well it was going or not, she couldn't say. While in the middle of moving the last team, their faunus member had woken up. She insisted about going back to where their dead teammate was. Reluctantly, Amethyst had let her go but she was starting to second-guess that decision now.

"I see." Yang leaned over to her younger sister, gently tousling her bangs. "If only Ruby was awake…" She had silver eyes, according to Rouge. Amethyst didn't know much about people with those abilities, only what little Violet had ever divulged about Rue's own powers. It sounded like they could use someone who knew how to use such abilities right about now too.

There was a small clatter not far off, something kicking a loose rock and sending it skipping across the broken concrete. Amethyst tensed, ducking low and leaning closer to the two injured girls. Without a weapon, her fighting options were pretty limited against something like the Grimm. That didn't mean she could abandon those who couldn't protect themselves. Even if she didn't have many options, she was far from helpless.

To her relief, she didn't need to think of any such strategy as three Beacon students stumbled into view. Not just anyone, but Joan's teammates. Amethyst had only seen pictures of them, but she recognized them easily enough. The redhead especially was easily distinguishable as the girl on Pumpkin Pete's cereal.

It wasn't until they got closer than Amethyst realized something was wrong. They weren't so much stumbling as the two of them were helping Joan's partner hobble along. She was being extra careful not to put any weight on her left foot.

"What's going on?" Yang tried and failed to see who it was that was coming, unable to move from her spot. Amethyst didn't answer, hurrying to set up a makeshift area for them to lay their teammate on. "Pyrrha?" The blonde then gasped as they came into view.

"Autumn told us to come this way." The Mistrali boy heaved, forehead wet with perspiration. "Said you would know what to do about this." It wasn't good. Amethyst knew that with just a glance.

The redhead's left foot all the way up through her ankle was burned badly. The armor that had once been her boot had been completely melted away and it looked like several of her toes had been incinerated clean off. Best case scenario, they had to amputate the burned area.

"What happened?" Amethyst crouched over the girl as they laid her down to inspect the wound more closely. It only confirmed her theory and she knew if they didn't do something quick, infection might set in and spread to the rest of her leg.

"We tried to prevent Cinder from escaping." Amethyst's head snapped away from the leg to look into the boy's magenta eyes. "We underestimated her and she did this to Pyrrha's leg before escaping." Not only was Cinder here, but she had gotten free? No, now wasn't the time to worry about that.

"Anyone have any fire dust?" Amethyst leaned over Pyrrha, making sure she lay completely flat. "And a knife. Preferably one really sharp."

"W-what are you going to do?" Their other female teammate stuttered, hand placed over her mouth and eyes wide open.

"Listen to me. It's Pyrrha, right?" Amethyst crouched even closer to the injured woman, slapping her cheeks lightly to bring her emerald eyes into focus. "I've got to take your foot off or else you might lose your whole leg. It's going to hurt like a bitch, but you have to be tough. Can you do that?"

The Mistral Regional Champion swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and gave a resolute, albeit terrified nod.

"Thatta girl." Amethyst ran a hand through her silky red hair. It was so smooth, just like how Allegretta's had been. How terrible. In the past, she had stuck a blade into her own partner and now she was about to do the same to Joan's.

No. Amethyst shook her head to banish the thought. This wasn't the same. She wasn't doing this to take her life. She was doing this to save it.

"Here." The boy handed her a curved dagger. It was old but well maintained. Most importantly, it was sharp. Now she just needed…

"Dammit." Yang clucked her teeth, knocking a couple red shells loose from the gauntlet on her wrist. "It just never ends." She threw them to the Arc sister and she set to work immediately, using the dust to superheat the blade until it was glowing red hot.

"Your names?" Amethyst looked at Pyrrha's teammates while she waited for the weapon to heat.

"R-Ren."

"Nora."

They both answered together, neither one of them looking like they really even heard her question. They were just staring at their teammate in what could only be shock. They had no idea who it was they had been picking a fight with. If Joan had been with them, even she must have underestimated the strength of their opponent. Rouge may have beat her by herself, but that was because Rouge was special.

Not just anyone could take on Cinder. It was a miracle they'd gotten away with just this much. The only reason Amethyst could think was because she was more focused on escaping than fighting. The one good thing they had used the swords for and it had escaped.

Again, Amethyst shook her head to remind herself she didn't have time for stuff like this.

"I want you guys to take Pyrrha's hands, okay? I need you to be here for her." Amethyst looked them in the eyes until she was sure she had their attention. Most people found her red eyes uncomfortable as it reminded them of the Grimm. Neither student flinched from her, instead hanging off her words. "If she starts to thrash, just hold her down. I'm going to be as quick as I can to cause her as little pain as possible."

"T-thank you." Ren nodded as he and his partner moved to either side of their last teammate. They did as Amethyst said and took her hands. Pyrrha looked up at them, lower lip trembling and they squeezed her hands in response.

"Okay." Amethyst took a deep breath, getting into position and placing a hand firmly on Pyrrha's shin. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She whispered to herself like a mantra, closing her eyes in preparation for what she was about to do.

Allegretta's face came to mind again. No matter how hard she tried to banish it, she couldn't. This wasn't the same, she told herself. She was no longer the person she used to be. The only way to get away from it was to look this head on. So she opened her eyes back up, looking down at the burnt flesh once again.

With a hand far too steady for the nerves she was feeling, she aligned the knife until she was sure it was just right. If she didn't take off enough flesh she was going to have to make another cut. Taking off more than necessary was something she wanted to avoid too.

Sucking in a deep breath and only once she was sure she was right, Amethyst pressed the blade down. Pyrrha screamed into a cloth Ren had ripped from his sleeve, her emerald eyes so wide it looked like they might pop right out of the sockets. Her arms start to thrash and her teammates held them down. Amethyst continued to press on the leg she was cutting into.

It was over in only a couple seconds.

Not many after and Pyrrha's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she lost consciousness. Amethyst had already pulled out the medical supplies left behind she had used to bandaged those of RWBY and set about wrapping the wound.

Nora crouched over Pyrrha's chest, back shuddering every so often as powerful sobs racked her body. Ren had fallen back to his butt and was just staring blankly up at the sky above.

"She'll be fine." Amethyst tried to assure them. "She's the Mistral Regional Champion. They'll make her a new foot in no time and she'll be able to continue classes like always." The words sounded hollow. Even if they were true, it didn't really sound like she believed them and was just saying them for the sake of it. Why did she suck so much at cheering people up?

"Thank you." Ren repeated, not looking away from the sky. "Thank you so much. If you hadn't been here…"

"How the heck did you know how to do that?" Yang leaned up next to Amethyst, staring with wide eyes at the knife she just used. "They don't teach us this kind of crap in class, do they?"

"They do." Amethyst nodded, shuddering slightly at a memory from her own Beacon days. "This is the first time I've ever had to use the skill... in this way." It wasn't the same, she told herself again. "You should get her to the infirmary as quickly as possible. There's gotta be a spare bed to let her down on."

"Right…" If it wasn't for the fact that Ren was starting to stand, Amethyst would have thought again that he hadn't heard her. These kids had all been through so much. First losing Joan to the sword for a time and now this… and that didn't count everyone else that had been killed or grievously injured.

"Nora. Let's go." Ren gently jostled his partner until she finally nodded and began to lift their unconscious teammate. He immediately set to helping her and together the two of them made their way into Beacon's main building. Or what sections of it were still left standing anyways.

"Damn…" Yang watched them go until they were out of sight. Amethyst couldn't bear to watch them even that long. "You were really awesome just now, you know?"

"No. I wasn't." Amethyst curled in on herself, pulling her knees up to her chest with one hand while eyeing the dagger she used to sever Pyrrha's foot still held in the other. "I could barely keep my head straight. Kept thinking about so many pointless things."

"Could've fooled me." Yang stalked over to Amethyst and plopped down just next to her. "Jaune told me that of his sisters, he thought you were the coolest one. You know that?"

"Heh, such a Jaune thing to say." Despite herself, Amethyst couldn't help the small, but fond smile that crossed her lips. "He was the coolest one of us by far."

"Oh?" Yang leaned a little closer, lilac eyes wide with unmasked interest. Amethyst hadn't been sure from Gluttony's memories, but she had gotten the impression the two were rather close. Maybe even more so than she thought.

"Yeah." Amethyst looked up at the sky, the color of it reminding her of his eyes. "He had every right to hate us, but never did. It would have been so easy for him too. Hating something is easy. Love is so freaking hard. Yet that never stopped my little brother from loving us all the same. And that's just really… cool. That he could do something so difficult and make it look so easy."

He loved them so much he would even risk taking all the sins into himself for them. Regardless of the consequences that would have on his own body. How could she not think he was cool?

Yet she couldn't do anything to help him.

She didn't even know what was going on in Fae right now.

No sooner did she think that and Jaune warped into existence right in front of them, Fae visible for only a brief moment before vanishing. He looked to be unconscious, Ozpin holding him in a fireman's carry.

"Jaune." Amethyst leapt to her feet and ran to him. Only to pause a couple steps away. "Wait… Joan?" These were Jaune's clothes alright, but this was most definitely her younger sister and not her brother. Her hair was even cut to about the length of his.

"Long story…" Joan creaked a single blue eye open and gave a pained grin. "Kind of funny too, but there's more important things to talk about right now."

"I'll leave her to you." Ozpin stepped up to Amethyst and she took her sister from his hands. "I'm sorry, but I must hurry." He turned and started to move in the direction of Beacon Tower. No doubt to look for signs of Cinder. Amethyst thought about calling out to him, but with Joan here and in this state, she decided to wait.

She could find out about her team later.

First, they had to deal with Noir.

"Jaune transform into what's-her-name then?" Amethyst blinked in surprise, looking down at Joan to confirm they both heard the same thing. She turned back around with her younger sister still in her arms to see Yang slowly rising to her feet.

"H-how did you know that?" Joan blurted out before Amethyst could get the chance.

"Coco told me." Yang started to stretch, testing to see how much the wound was affecting her movements. "She was there when he figured it out. He asked her to pass it onto me. Violet's team was watching him pretty closely after that and he was afraid they might try to talk him out of it if they figured it out too far ahead of time."

"And _you_ didn't!?" Despite having only just regained consciousness, Joan suddenly had a lot of energy. At the very least her vocal cords did as she still had trouble standing when Amethyst let her down.

"Jaune promised me." Yang placed a hand on either hip, looking straight into Amethyst's red eyes. Suddenly, she knew what it was Yang was talking about. She'd told the swords the same thing once before. "He and I are going to go look for my mom when this is all over. To be honest, I'd like to rest first. After that, though, he and I are heading out. Beacon's probably gonna be closed for a while after this so we'll have the time. Point is, he made me a promise and he's not going to let something simple like a little possession get in the way of that."

"H-How-" Joan's mouth flapped open and closed. "How can you say that so confidently?"

Yang shrugged. "It's not hard. Probably because I love him and think he's pretty darn cool." Joan couldn't do anything but blush at such a direct answer and Amethyst felt her cheeks start to get hot.

"Ahem," She cleared her throat, deciding instead to push along instead of getting embarrassed. "We need to find a way to get Noir out of Fae and here into Remnant. If we can show Winter who's really to blame-"

"No." Joan cut her off, tone so strict it caught Amethyst off guard.

"No?" She looked down at her sister, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"That's exactly what Noir wants us to do. She wants to take the blame for everything the swords have done and have the world make her into the villain." Joan said this with such a straight face, Amethyst didn't know how to react

If she had to pick something, however, it would probably be along the lines of what Yang said in that incredulous tone of hers. "And that's a bad thing, how exactly?"

Joan bit her lower lip, looking Yang head on without turning away in the slightest. "I'm done running away." She stated. The words didn't mean anything to Amethyst, but Yang's lilac eyes widened. "Letting someone else take all the blame for us isn't going to make us magically feel better. And… I don't think Jaune wants Noir to take the blame for us either."

Joan paused to look up at Amethyst as she addressed her directly now. "Noir is just as much a victim as we are… and Jaune wants to help her too. He didn't tell me this directly, but I can feel it. I can still feel him… even if Noir is in control, he's still alive. And he wants to save Noir in the same way he saved us."

Save Noir…?

Was there even a way to do that? Jaune and Noir couldn't live at the same time. For one to live, the other eventually had to die. Unless Joan wasn't talking about saving her life, but meant to save her on a metaphorical level? Even if that was the case, Amethyst didn't know what had to be done for that to be accomplished.

The only thing she could do was believe in Jaune and Violet to figure it out. While they were taking care of Noir, it was up to her to figure out what to do about Winter. Something which needed to be done sooner rather than later. As in, right now.

"Arc!" Winter was coming. She was stomping towards them from the same direction Yang's faunus teammate had gone. The raven haired girl was trailing just behind her along with Penny, the both of them trying and failing to call out to the Atlas Specialist.

"Take care of Joan for me." Amethyst shoved her younger sister towards Yang, earning a startled yelp from the both of them. Neither of them were in any condition for any kind of altercation right now.

Even if they were, Amethyst wouldn't allow them to step into what was most definitely looking like the start of a fight. She was the one who had to take care of this. "What are you going to do?" Joan asked.

Amethyst glanced down at the dagger in her hand. "Whatever I have to."

Winter stopped about fifty paces away. Her beautiful face marred with a terrible scowl and fresh tear stains. The normally immaculate white hair in a bun was slightly ruffled, odd ends poking out all over the place. There was a stain of red on her uniform from when Pride had stabbed her, but it didn't seem to be inhibiting her now, which might have meant she was so hopped up on adrenaline she couldn't even feel it.

Penny and Blake had stopped behind her. The ginger girl seemed to realize what was what about to happen and knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. So instead of trying, she had moved to Blake, hovering protectively behind her for when the inevitable begun.

Amethyst released a short breath, feeling the air leave her lungs. She allowed her shoulders to untense, but didn't dare drop her guard. Compared to her opponent, she felt underdressed with just her ripped jeans and sleeveless black shirt.

It was strange too not having her headphones blasting music. Without the screams coming from the scythe she didn't need them anymore. Although a weapon with a little range would have been better than what Ren had left her. Daggers had always been more Ciel's thing. All the same, she was just going to have to make do.

Amethyst met Winter's piercing cold gaze without flinching in the slightest. "Winter! Think really carefully about what you're about to do. You're upset about your sister. I get that, but we can't be fighting one another right now-"

"Silence!" Winter cut her off. She raised the saber in her hand, settling into an elegant, but deadly fighting stance. "There is only one thing I have to say to you."

"Winter, please do not-" Penny tried one last time to no effect.

"Amethyst Arc! For the murder of my little sister and all the other atrocities you and your family have committed; I sentence you to death."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** So there's actually two fights left before everything is said and done.

It's kind of weird to think about, but Weiss died almost ten chapters ago now and I'm just finally now getting around to the repercussions of that. I had been debating for a while how exactly to give Amethyst something to do during the end. Since she's freed second to last which doesn't leave her much room to contribute.

Then Volume 3 gave us Winter as a character and it's something I was able to make use of. Qrow, however, never made it into this story. After his introduction into Canon, I did want to include him too. In fact, for a while it was supposed to be him and not Ozpin there at the beginning. However, there was never a chance in this story where I felt like it was appropriate to introduce him and Ozpin being there that night served the purpose just as well. So it just ended up never happening and went back to the way I originally intended.

This chapter was also a good chance to just kind of touch base with what the remaining relevant cast was doing and where things stand. I'd say with things almost wrapped up that I'm finally done making these characters suffer but... I think we all know I would be lying if I did.


	72. Amethyst vs Winter

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Amethyst vs Winter_

* * *

" _Winter!" Weiss called for her big sister, five pure white beowolves about to bear down upon her._

 _As if reacting to that shout, the pseudo-Grimm jerked to a stop with their claws upraised. A second more and the Schnee Heiress would have been ripped to death. It was a harrowing scene, sending a shiver up Winter's spine when even the cold air of the courtyard could not._

 _She dismissed the Grimm. They broke apart like snowmen being swept away by the wind, scattering and turning into a fine white powder. Weiss was revealed to be perfectly unharmed at the center, kneeling on the ground and staring with her head bowed._

 _Winter picked up Myrtenaster, the rapier having been knocked aside during the battle, and planted it in the ground between her and her sister. The loud ting it gave when she did startled her younger sister into opening those innocent crystal blue eyes. She looked up at her elder sister, open mouth giving a slight quiver._

 _There was a sigh. "I'm not always going to be around to save you, Weiss." She wasn't disappointed in her sister. Just terrified for her. Weiss had magnificent aspirations… but to accomplish those aspirations she was going to face many perils. No matter how much Winter wished it, she couldn't be there for her sister every step of the way. That was why she had to sound stern, glaring down at her as if in condemnation for being weak._

 _She loved her sister too much to lose her._

" _I'm sorry." Weiss averted her eyes. The only thing the younger sister wanted was to earn the praise of the her elder. Winter knew this as well and she did want to praise her. To give into that temptation wouldn't help Weiss become stronger. So she resisted the urge and said nothing. "I'll get better."_

 _Winter turned her back to her sister and began to walk away. "You'll have to if you ever want to leave." Those were the only words she gave her that night._

If she had done something else that night would things be different?

Would Weiss still be alive?

No. This was not her fault. She had prepared Weiss as best she could. The problem was Weiss cared too much. She had been too soft, always had been. She showed sympathy to those Arc sisters and Winter had almost been foolish enough to buy into her pleas. She knew now the truth.

They were guilty.

Winter had been appointed as their judge. Now she would also serve as their executioner. "Amethyst Arc! For the murder of my little sister and all the other atrocities you and your family have committed; I sentence you to death."

The woman before her looked completely unrepentant. Amethyst Arc was fairly tall for a woman, although that was belied by her almost lackadaisical stance. Shoulders slack and knees spread apart. The curved dagger she held was only hanging on by the barely curled fingers of her left hand.

All of this fit in perfectly with the rocker image she seemed to try and give off. From the sleeveless black shirt to the ripped blue jeans and the short-cropped indigo hair, she was the perfect image of someone trying to conform to nonconformity. Most infuriating were those blood red eyes without emotion. Eyes just like that of the Grimm.

Just behind Amethyst was her other younger sister, Joan Arc. At first glance, Winter almost thought it was their brother. She was wearing his clothes and had those wraps supposed to hide his malformed hands. Even her hair was cut to the length of his.

There was just enough off for Winter to know the truth. She was too short, a pair of breasts rounding out the top of the shirt, and hair so haphazardly cut it could have only been done recently.

Hanging onto Joan and keeping her upright was Weiss' blonde teammate. Behind the both of them, leaned up against the statue and unconscious was Weiss' partner. Weiss' last teammate was behind Winter, trying to shout something but failing to get through to her. She might have even interfered if it wasn't for Penny holding her back.

How Weiss' team could still try to defend these murderers was beyond Winter's understanding. They should be on her side, not theirs. Not that it mattered. Winter would deal with them when and if the time arose. For now, she intended to take care of the two sisters right in front of her.

Winter had read up on Amethyst's file and knew she liked to summon the dead of those she had killed. It was just like what the Schnee did. Which made them a perfect match for one another. Drawing the saber from her hip, Winter stabbed it into the ground and activated her Semblance.

A pure white glyph formed beneath her feet. It spun in place, humming louder and louder the faster its rotation became. There was a bright flash of light. And then five white Beowolves phased into existence.

The pseudo-Grimm growled as if expressing all the repressed rage of their master. Winter's icy blue eyes stared across the way and into Amethyst's once more. Daring her to make an excuse for what had happened. For having killed her sister. There was none. She appeared to have accepted that talking would get them nowhere.

Winter let her summons free.

The five Grimm charged across the broken pavement of Beacon's grand pathway. Amethyst merely started to meander forward. It was like she was taking a stroll to the local grocery store and not about to walk into a battle for her life.

Was it sheer arrogance that moved her forward with not but a dagger in her hand? Somewhere in the back of her mind, Winter realized there was a contradiction. Amethyst did not wield a dagger. Winter knew this. Yet her grief and anger did not allow her to acknowledge it.

So her Grimm bore down upon the second eldest Arc sister with all the ferocity they would have when they were alive. The first one reached her, clawed hand swinging forward to slit her throat-

And phasing right through like she wasn't even there. Amethyst's permeation Semblance allowed her to pass by the Grimm like she was a ghost. The Beowulf stumbled and tripped, collapsing from the unexpected nonresistance. It turned around, letting out a guttural growl.

One that was immediately silenced. Amethyst didn't even turn around, merely swinging her arm backwards and slitting its throat with the dagger in hand. Then it vanished, bursting apart into a myriad of snowflakes.

The second one reached her, charging at her with its mouth wide opened. It snapped shut, attempted to rip her intestines free from her stomach. Only to fail in the same way as the first one, falling past her and tumbling into a gangly heap of long limbs.

Amethyst didn't have a chance to attack this one. The other three were already on her, swinging at her all at once. None of them met their mark, instead smacking each other and staggering themselves.

There was only a brief second between the moment they phased past her and the dagger struck. Amethyst's red eyes traced the path of the dagger, the only sign of warning she gave. Then with brutal efficiency too fast for Winter to see, she cut down all three of the pseudo-Grimm. They too broke apart, covering the Arc girl like a winter storm.

She walked past it, ignoring the cold that came from Winter's defeated summoned creatures. Behind her, the last Beowulf leapt again. Amethyst didn't even turn around, just letting the Grimm slip past and skid to a stop in front of her. Without stopping, she slit its throat too.

The last Grimm burst apart. All five of them defeated, all without Amethyst taking a single pause from her slow gait. She had closed half the distance to Winter now, the blade of the dagger gleaming off the sun and red eyes shining without emotion. It wasn't a conscious decision, but pure primal instinct that caused Winter to take a step back in fear.

Immediately she regret the decision. What was she doing? This wasn't the time to show weakness. Wasn't this exactly what she had scolded Weiss over? That was right. She couldn't afford to be weak. To be weak was to die.

Winter locked her teeth in place, jutting her chin out as if to prove to herself she wasn't scared. Then she took back that step she'd taken, heeled boot clicking against the broken concrete. A glowing white glyph radiated beneath her.

If the powerful strikes of a Beowulf was no good, she would just change her strategy. Dozens of little white Nevermore swirled around her, giving the appearance of a twister. The tiny Grimm screamed, their little voices melting together and forming a murderous cacophony.

Most who heard that noise knew death was coming. Any reasonable human being would be scrambling for cover, praying they could get away in time before the flying death found them. Amethyst did no such thing, not even pausing so much to give a hitch in her step. Her red irises still reflected no emotion.

Another small, high pitched whine joined the shrieking Nevermore. It was several seconds later before Winter realized it was her. She was yelling, her vocal chords stretching themselves to the limit as if she was attempting to scream her opponent into submission.

Reacting to her yell, her storm of Grimm raced forward, dissipating the twister and forming a gale of white death. Still Amethyst did not stop. She walked headlong into the storm no human could survive. The Nevermore swarmed around her like locust, attempting to pluck out her eyes, rip open her stomach, and strip her tendons. They failed to do any of this.

The inside of the storm should have been freezing. Even if the Grimm could not get to her, the bitter cold that they brought with them when summoned should have been enough to do something. Even more so considering Amethyst's lack of clothing around her arms and all those holes in her jeans.

Yet when she walked out of the storm, she didn't give so much as a shiver. Those emotionless, evil, red eyes looked bored. This wasn't natural. This wasn't normal. Was she even truly human?

This power. This unwavering lack of fear. This steady approach that could not be stopped. This was no human. This was a ghastly apparition. Some monster out of her story books. She was close now. Only five more steps would bring her within striking distance.

The summoned Nevermore vanished, their remains drifting down and briefly blanketing the area that had been in snow. Huh? What just happened? Winter hadn't meant to unsummon them. Even if they had failed once, they could still be of use again. So why had they disappeared? What did Amethyst do to them?

No, it hadn't been her opponent. It was her own mind too that was in too much disarray to maintain them.

The saber in Winter's hand was clattering. It was still stabbed into the ground, the blade vibrating against the concrete and making a series of irritating clangs. Winter tried to tell herself it was an earthquake. Some giant Grimm walking nearby shaking the ground with every step it took.

She knew the truth. This was her. The right hand holding her sword was trembling. She was afraid. Afraid of what? That she would join her sister in death? No, she wasn't afraid of her own death. What she was afraid of was dying without being able to avenge her sister's death. To wake up every morning for the rest of her life in a world where her sister was no longer in it. One where her sister was gone but her killers got to walk free. All because she was too weak to do anything about it. All because of those red, grimm-like eyes without emotion.

"No." Winter growled under breath. "I refuse. I refuse. I refuse." She refused to let herself be afraid of this murderer. She refused to allow herself to be weak. She refused to forgive anyone for the death of her sister.

She drew the saber. Amethyst was only a step away now. Winter closed that gap, stabbing right into one of those expressionless red eyes. Like all of her Grimm, Winter passed right through. Of course she would. This permeation Semblance was truly something else. All the same, it had to have a weakness. There had to be some kind of time limit.

Winter would just strike at her again and again until she found that time limit. Her body too passed through and she felt a small shiver go up her spine at the indescribable sensation. Standing back to back now, Winter flicked a switch on her weapon. A smaller, shorter blade popped out the side and flew until her other hand. She spun around, thrusting with that short sword.

There was a shower of sparks accompanied by a loud clang. Amethyst had raised the dagger, using it to defend. Her permeation was down. Not a second later did Winter realize this and there was a loud crack.

Winter's vision went white. When it came back the whole world was spinning. Up. down. left. right. All of it meant nothing to her anymore. When everything finally came to a stop, everything was upside down. No, it wasn't everything else, but her that was sprawled out on her back, eyes staring up at the sky.

Amethyst's posture told her what happened, right fist still extended. Winter had been so focused on the dagger, she hadn't seen the backhand coming until it was too later. Rather, she hadn't seen it at all. She licked her lips, tasting iron.

"You… bi-" Her voice was hoarse. Had it been from the yelling earlier? Or was her mouth just numb from that crack to the jaw? It didn't matter. None of it matter. The only thing that mattered was killing her. The only thing that was important was avenging her sister.

She rolled to her stomach, long white hair falling over her shoulders and obscuring her vision. During the tumble her bun had come undone and now her hair hung in a mess all around her. Pushing off the ground, Winter stumbled to her feet-

-and then felt all the air leave her lungs. Amethyst's leg came into her vision from below, tip of her shoe drilling into her stomach. More specifically, straight into the wound Violet had inflicted on her earlier. Winter's feet left the ground.

They touched back down several feet away, her body having been blown back that much by the kick alone. It was a miracle she hadn't collapsed again, but it wasn't a miracle Winter was even aware of.

It hurt. The pain in her stomach felt like it was on fire. It hurt. She clutched at it with one hand, not even aware she had dropped her weapon to do so. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. Her fingers dug until the stab wound, poking and prodding the flesh within. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt.

Winter forgot how to breathe. No, it wasn't that she forgot how to breathe. It was that she couldn't breathe. Something else was there. Something was suffocating her. Her lungs tried to inhale oxygen but the only thing they got was the taste of iron. There was a convulsion. Her whole body racked and heaved.

Then a fountain of red burst from her lips. It coated everything. Her Specialist Uniform. The ground. White hair. All of it was stained red. It was all so red. It was red. It was red just like those eyes.

"Stop this! Please just stop this!" Someone cried out.

Winter's vision came into focus. The world of red slowly dissipating, being filled with other colors for just a moment. Blue and yellow and black and purple and green and orange. So many other colors existed but the only thing she had been able to see was red. It was the only color that mattered anymore. It was the color they had turned Weiss into.

Weiss' friend and teammate had collapsed to her knees. Blake openly weeped into her hands, not able to even watch the battle that went on any longer. If you could even call what it had been up to this point a battle. It would be more accurate to say it was a one-sided slaughter.

"Why are you doing this!?" Blake pulled her hands away, yellow eyes staring up at Amethyst. The second eldest Arc sister didn't so much as glance in her direction, let alone turn around. Her red eyes never left Winter. "She's already injured, you don't have to fight her. We can talk to her! We can reason with her!"

"..." Amethyst finally turned. It wasn't much, just enough for Blake to know she was listening. Penny crouched down over the faunus girl, resting a hand on her shoulders and gently nudging her in Winter's direction.

No. Stop it. Winter didn't want to see her expression. She didn't want to hear her words. If she stopped now it was all over. If she stopped now, who was she supposed to blame for Weiss' death?

"Winter, please…" Blake ignored her internal pleas to stop. "Amethyst didn't do this. Ciel didn't do this. None of them did this. Their swords did this. You must have read the report. You must have read Weiss' letters." Of course she read them. She read all of them. Anything and everything Weiss ever sent her, she always opened them and read every single word. From the way Weiss wrote out her address on the envelope to the last period of every post script.

She knew what was going on with these swords and sisters. She knew it before Ironwood had even known it, thanks to Weiss. Her sister was a good girl. She wanted to help these sisters. She wanted to help their brother. She wanted to help. She wanted to help and that got her killed.

"Weiss wouldn't want this..." Blake hiccuped, voice quickly becoming more unstable. "She wanted to help them. Please, Winter." Her voice dissolved completely, no longer capable of forming words any more.

"There you have it." In contrast to that, Amethyst's voice was cold and lacking of any empathy. "If I tell you all that myself, will it make a difference? If I get on my hands and knees and beg for your forgiveness, will you be able to give it to me and my sisters? Could you possibly forgive us for being weak? For taking your sister from you?" No, it wasn't that there wasn't empathy.

Tears rolled down Amethyst's cheeks. Her voice too was cracked and it sounded like just talking must have hurt. How had Winter not noticed? Her eyes didn't lack emotion. Her eyes were overflowing with remorse. It wasn't that Winter couldn't see it. She simply hadn't wanted to see it. To see it meant she had to acknowledge they weren't emotionless monsters. That they were human.

"I-" Winter reached a hand forward. "I…" That hand stained dark red with blood. She saw Weiss' body again. Her white dressed stained the same red, body lying in a thick sticky pool. Her insides were missing, parts of her intestines and a hunk of her lung ripped from her body, muscle tissue strewn over her and merged with the fabric of her clothes.

Winter clenched her hand. "Weiss was a good girl." Her whole body trembled. "She was sweet and she was kind!" She glared at Amethyst, removing the emotions from her face and once more turning her into a monster. "She vouched for your character-" Winter's vocal chords tore. "And you killed her!" She would never forgive them.

There was a burst of white. A giant glyph radiated beneath Winter's feet and from that light stood a massive gorilla. It was a Beringel and possibly the strongest Grimm Winter had ever fought and killed.

This one stood easily three times taller than her with limbs thicker than tree trunks. Its once black fur was now pure white and the bone plates protecting its exterior tinged with varying shades of blue. The gorilla-shaped Grimm let out a low, bestial growl that rumbled out from the core of its chest. Its mouth parted slightly, revealing thick dull teeth capable of crushing an entire human without effort. Pure enmity radiated off the Beringel as if to match Winter's own.

It beat at its chest and then charged on all four limbs, the ground thundering with every move it made. There was no way for Amethyst to destroy this Grimm like she had the others. This monstrosity was the very personification of death. Its armor was like that of a tank and its arms cannons. When it attacked, something died. There was no getting around that.

Yet Amethyst defied that logic anyways. The Beringel swung down at her. Concrete turned into dust and a cloud spread like an explosion. From that cloud emerged an unscathed human, phasing through the Grimm's legs and charging right for Winter.

Of course that was what she would do. It was suicide to try and fight that monstrosity. Rather than try and risk striking at the cost of losing her permeation, it made sense to go for the summoner. One who was still weak and vulnerable.

Winter had yet to pick her weapons back up, the saber and smaller blade still at her feet. The Beringel turned, but it wouldn't be fast enough. It could easily overtake Amethyst, but by the time it did the Arc sister would be upon her. A single swing from the massive Grimm that close and even Winter would be caught up in it. That was why it didn't turn towards Amethyst and Winter. Instead it faced another way.

"Feel the pain I do." Winter cursed her. She wished upon her a pain no one should ever wish upon their enemies. She uttered the words that made her into villain undeserving of the admiration Weiss had given her.

Amethyst stopped. She spun to the Beringel but it was too late. It was stomping across the pathway. Making a straight path for the two blondes. Joan Arc was its only target. If Yang Xaio Long was going to protect Weiss' murderer than Winter wouldn't lose any sleep over the world losing her too.

There was a shout. Amethyst was screaming something. But Winter did not care. The voice of such an evil woman fell on deaf ears. She did not wish for the Beringel to stop. So the Beringel did not stop. It raced towards Joan Arc and raised its massive, tree-sized arm.

That arm came down. Only it didn't come down of the Grimm's volition. No, it came down because the arm had been severed at the shoulder. A spear of pure white light pierced the shoulder armor that should not have been pierceable and ripped its arm clean off. There was a thud, the arm falling next to the one it had tried to kill. The Beringel look down at it as if confused.

Then it died.

Three more spears ripped through the tank-like plating of the Grimm's armor. Its chest, stomach, and the whole side of its face blew apart. Those spears of pure white light ripped through it like it was paper before vanishing into the distance. The Beringel burst apart like a snowman that had been kicked by an angry drunk.

Behind the falling snow was Joan, arm raised and lips tucked in concentration. Sweat dotted her forehead and her legs trembled. If not for Yang holding onto her, she would have already collapsed.

It was obvious. Those spears of light had been her doing. Even though it should not have been possible for her to accomplish such a feat, she had done it. She no longer had Crocea Mors, the sword capable of shooting beams of light. And her Semblance only allowed her to create a barrier. Yet somehow she had been the one behind that attack.

It didn't make sense. This didn't make sense. She should be dead. She should have to pay for her crime of killing Weiss. Had this been divine intervention? Was something of a greater power trying to tell Winter this was wrong?

Of course not. If she was talking about right and wrong, Winter already knew the answer. Her brain had already supplied the answer. Joan could not make light attacks because she did not have Crocea Mors. Why did she not have Crocea Mors? She knew why, but to admit to the reason was to admit she had been wrong. What was she supposed to do if she was wrong?

"Look out!" Blake screamed again. Despite the fact that she should no longer have had any voice of which to yell with, she overcame her overbearing grief and despair to scream again anyways.

Winter turned as if in slow motion. A shadow passed over her body. A giant black entity placed itself between her and the sun, creating that shadow. Not just any entity, but that of a giant Nevermore. Its deep red eyes exactly like Amethyst's looked at her and her alone.

The Nevermore let out a roar so loud it distorted the air-

And with a flap of its wings sent a storm of piercing black feathers raining down upon her.

Ah… So this was how it ended. Her own grief and anger had grown so strong it brought this Grimm to her. It made her the only thing this creature could see. In the same way the only thing she had been able to see was her rage and desire for revenge. She closed her eyes and just accepted the incoming death.

It was a death she deserved. For not being able to protect Weiss. For not being the big sister she should have been. For condemning those who did not deserve her wrath. So the only thing she did was wait for it to come.

Only for it to never happen.

There was a revolting squelching noise. One every Huntsman and Huntress was familiar with as something sharp drilled into flesh. Yet Winter felt none of the pain that should have followed that noise. Either her senses had already become too numb to receive such signals, or-

She opened her eyes.

Between her and the Grimm. Body pierced by Nevermore feathers-

Was Amethyst Arc.

* * *

You could tell a lot about a person by the kind of Semblance they had.

Sometimes the answer wasn't always immediately obvious, but the more time you spent with that person and it usually became pretty clear what part of their personality it was that their Semblance reflected.

In that regard, Amethyst's permeation certainly fit her to a tee.

What the Semblance actually did was alter her Aura's wavelength. It changed the structure of her soul so she no longer existed on the same wavelength of everyone else. In a way, she supposed it reflected the alienation she felt growing up.

Depending on how much she altered her wavelength, she could make it so she practically didn't even exist on Remnant anymore. Doing that would allow her to phase into the ground and become invisible as even light would no longer reflect off her.

Amethyst rarely used her Semblance to such an extent. She didn't know what would happen if she released the Semblance while still in the middle of phasing through a wall or sinking into the earth. Worst case scenario, she could be ripped in half by her own Semblance.

That also came with its own share of difficulties learning to use it growing up. Amethyst discovered from an early age she could phase other objects out of existence along with her. In order to be able to perform such a feat, she needed to understand the structural integrity of such an object.

In other words, until she learned to control her Semblance, every time she used it would result in her clothes falling right off. It had been from this constant embarrassment that Amethyst developed the habit of wearing as little clothes as possible. The less she had covering her, the easier it was to phase all of these things along with her.

The other thing she learned was that it was next to impossible to allow others to share in her permeation ability. She had only ever succeeding in such a thing with three people. Violet, Allegretta, and Jaune. If she was being technical, Gluttony had been a person with a soul too so she could probably count her.

Even so, it wasn't possible for her to do it with just anyone. That meant saving Winter with her Semblance wasn't a possibility.

The Nevermore feathers were already coming down. There wasn't enough time to think of anything else. If anything, it was incredible this was the only Grimm that had gotten to them so far. With all the negativity swirling around Winter, they must have been going crazy trying to get here. That just proved it had been a good decision to leave the task to Rouge and Ciel.

Amethyst supposed this was as good an ending as any. Her sisters had all been saved. Allegretta had been allowed to pass on. The only thing left to worry about was Jaune, but Violet was there in Fae with him. If anyone could figure something out, it was her big sister.

All these thoughts ran through her mind in a split second. Not once did she spare any brain function to what it was her body was doing. She just let it move on auto-pilot, placing herself between Winter and the raining spears in the shape of feathers.

There were several loud, painful thunks. Amethyst's body jerked as if she had been struck by a multitude of baseball bats. Even so she did not fall. She tasted iron, a trail of blood leaking out the corners of her lips and dribbling down her chin. That blood fell to the ground, mixing with the rest that was escaping her body.

The world was starting to sway. Amethyst couldn't tell if that was because she was losing her balance or it was her vision starting to go. Everything tilted on its axis. Suddenly the ground was no longer visible. Or maybe it would just be more accurate to say she was no longer looking at it.

Somewhere along the line and Amethyst had collapsed to her back. She hadn't even felt the impact, but knew that must have been what was happening because now she had a pretty great view of the sky.

It was so blue. White fluffy clouds slowly drifted by and made all kinds of interesting shapes. This was so nice. It was like she was lying on a huge grassy hill. If she turned her head a little, she would see her little brother lying next to her. He would have his earbuds in just like she had her headphones on. They could just ignore the whole world together.

Now if only someone would quit shaking her. What did they want? Couldn't they see she didn't want to be disturbed? Something wet and warm hit her in the cheek. It wasn't much, just a small jolt. All the same, it brought the rest of the scene into focus.

The Nevermore was still swooping down upon them. Winter was leaned over her. White hair tumbled loosely over her shoulders, all of it a wild and untamed mess. Amethyst wasn't going to lie, Winter actually looked pretty hot with her hair like that. Although, the effect was slightly ruined by her tear-stained eyes. Not recently dried tears either, but freshly strewn droplets.

They rained down, striking Amethyst in the cheek again and sending another jolt through her body. She thought it had been blood falling upon her but it had been tears. Winter was crying for her. She was speaking, mouth moving rapidly but Amethyst couldn't hear anything she was saying. Then she turned, head looking over her shoulder. Amethyst might have thought it was to call for help, but that was wrong.

Help was already on the way. There was a streak of scattering red roses. A little girl at the peak of those roses flew through the sky to meet the descending Nevermore head on. Her silver eyes glowed brightly, shining with greater and more powerful intensity the closer she got. The Grimm seemed to sense danger and tried to change course.

It was too late.

There was a silver flash that engulfed everything.

Then darkness took Amethyst.

She was on her way to meet Allegretta.

At least that was what she thought. It was impossible for her to tell how much time passed. It could have only been seconds. It might have been hours. Her consciousness slowly drifted in and out repeatedly. Every time the darkness took her she thought for sure this time it would be the last. Only to every time once more open her eyes.

Each time more and more faces filled her vision. At first it was just Winter. Then Penny and Blake. Joan and Yang were by her side next. Ruby returned, bringing with her Rouge and Ciel. The last time it happened and Autumn and Olivia joined them.

"I'm starting to feel claustrophobic." She hadn't expected to be capable of speaking, let alone being able to hear herself even if she did.

"Amethyst!" So many different voices assaulted her at once, it felt like her whole body received the blunt force of the trauma. To her relief, not a single one of them tried to hug her. She probably would have passed right back out if they had.

Sensation was slowly beginning to return and she wiggled all her fingers and toes, just to confirm they were there. Everything checked out, but it all felt sore as hell. In particular there was a throbbing right around her elbow. It was a challenge, but she was able to tilt her head just enough to see some kind of needle injected into her vein, blood slowly being transferred directly into her.

Following that tube, she traced it back to Penny. Running out from her own vein, if you could even call it that, was a second tube connected to Winter. For a second, Amethyst thought it was the Atlas Specialist giving her blood, but quickly realized that couldn't possibly be the case. They'd both lost far too much. Rather, Penny was just supplying it to both of them at the same time.

"You're not human, are you?" Amethyst let her head fall back to the concrete, only just now to realize she was actually laying in Ciel's lap. Her younger sister gently ran a hand through her hair, completely unlike she had ever done before.

"I am not." Penny confirmed, giving only a slight nod. "I was created as the first synthetic android capable of producing an Aura. My father desires for me to be as lifelike as possible and has been upgrading me every several months. One of his latest installations was a blood network similar to that of humans specifically for transfusion purposes. This is its first test-run and I am most pleased to announce that it appears to be successful."

"That's... pretty cool." It felt like that might be putting it a tad lightly, considering it was such an impossible sounding thing that was saving her life right now, but she lacked the words to say it any more adequately than that. "Is… this okay, though?" She followed the other tube back to Winter again, biting her own lip as she waited to hear the response.

Winter looked down at her from the nose. "Of course. She's giving you blood on _my_ orders. Your life is being saved because I am the one who willed it. You would do well to bear that in mind."

Ruby shook her head, drawing Amethyst's eye to the young girl that had been the one to save them. Her silver eyes were filled with such deep emotion that reminded Amethyst exactly of how it felt when she first lost Allegretta. She also imagined it was those feelings that allowed her to use those silver eyes like she had. "That's Schnee talk for "I forgive you and don't want you to die," isn't that right?" Despite all this, she still managed to smile.

"N-no-" Winter turned away from Ruby. For several seconds she refused to look at anyone. It was slow, but little at a time she glanced at Amethyst out of the corner of her eye. With a deep sigh, she finally looked back down at her, but the expression was far more soft this time. "Yes." She didn't actually say it, but her mouth did make that shape.

As if to make up for that, she cleared her throat, once again trying to make herself look more professional by hiking her shoulders. The effect was definitely ruined by the wild white hair hanging over her shoulders. "I have not forgiven anyone for anything. My little sister is still dead, nothing said or done changes that." A heavy silence fell over everyone else. "However," Winter continued in a softer, more gentle tone. "I do also acknowledge that I was allowing my personal emotions to drive me to a decision that wasn't morally or ethically correct. If Weiss had been here to see me, I would have made her cry. And as much as I cannot forgive you, I cannot forgive myself for that even more."

No one said anything. There was nothing more that needed to be said. Amethyst hadn't been sure what she was going to accomplish by fighting Winter, but for now it seemed she had at least staved off an immediately execution.

"No one else has to die for those swords." Winter added on, as almost an afterthought.

"That's not entirely correct." Amethyst whispered. There was still one more fight. It might have already been decided, but it was just as likely that it was still going. It was hard to tell because depending on where in Fae that battle was raging, it could be weeks on Remnant before they found out. "There's at least one more person who is going to die before this is all over."

Jaune or Noir.

In order for one to survive, the other had to die.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** We're so close to the end now I can almost see it.

So when I first outlined this chapter, I figured I was just going to have to make up a scene to kind of reinforce Winter and Weiss' bond as sisters. I could have technically not put anything, but this story hasn't done anything to illustrate it so far. Even if we know they're close because of Canon it felt better to at least try and put something to explain Winter's absolutely ballistic reaction. Then we got the (in my opinion) excellent character short with Weiss fighting Winter's Grimm and I thought that lent itself wonderfully to what I wanted to express. So I just used that.

I did consider making this another flashy fight since it's really Amethyst's only time to shine. However, there's still one more fight I have to write and over the past ten chapters we've already had four battles. Even I'm getting kind of mentally drained with all of it and I love writing them. So I thought this was served better as a smaller physical battle but much bigger mental battle as Winter fought between doing what she knew to be right and letting her grief dictate her actions.

I also had to tie up the little plot point about Ruby's silver eyes. I made a whole scene about another character going out of her way to teach Ruby about them but then almost made it to the end without getting any resolution to that. Canon never really told us how those eyes work as of writing this and while I could have come up with my own solution, I decided it better to just leave it vague by having Amethyst pass out before being able to see the results.

Amethyst's Semblance was originally based off of Obito's Sharingan ability from Naruto. More recently and I think the ability feels more similar to Mirio's Quirk from Boku no Hero Academia. In case you were ever wondering for an easy way to picture her ability and how she was using it.

Next chapter is the final fight so look forward to that.


	73. Noir Arc and the End

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 ** _Spectrum_**

 _Noir Arc and the End_

* * *

This was the beginning of the end of this story.

Everything had been building up to this. This fight that was supposed to decide it all. The story that began with the glyphs, Jaune, and Violet in that shed over ten years ago was finally about to be put to rest. The only problem with that was, all the main actors were no longer assembled.

Noir stood all alone in the middle of the silver plains of Fae with a blank expression.

What was this emotion she was feeling right now? Was it disappointment? Anger? Shock? Any one of these emotions would make sense and would certainly be the appropriate reaction.

So why was it that Noir felt none of these things?

Instead she felt… relief.

Why?

The most uncomplicated answer was that Noir did not want to die. It was a simple truth, even more so when you considered that she was someone who had died once before already. She knew exactly how terrifying it felt to die because she had experienced it. Betrayed and murdered by her own brothers.

No matter which outcome Noir reached, all roads in the end would lead to her demise. Either Violet killed Noir here in Fae and saved her brother. Or Noir somehow managed to kill Violet and moved onto the other sisters to be killed by one of them. Even if Noir succeeded in her task to wipe out the Arc sisters and then Jaune's soul suppressed hers, she would just die that way.

There was no resolution where Noir got a happy ending and there was no world in which she should even be allowed to wish for one.

Noir already knew this and she had already accepted it. Even so, deep down she had been scared. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Noir supposed she had already realized this too. That was why she had been so hasty to kill Violet as fast as possible. That was why she was so adamant to find reasons to condemn both those sisters and herself. It was easier to accept if she truly believed that they all deserved to die.

That was right.

She already knew the truth. She didn't deserve to live. Someone who had died over a thousand years ago had no right to butt her head into the ordeals of those born in today's world.

Even so, the result of a mistake she made a thousand years ago had not yet been rectified. Her swords had left a poison in this world and there was only one small trace of it left. She simply had to remove it. That was her purpose. Why else be brought back if not for that?

Noir looked down the the physical culmination of her Lust. The rapier otherwise known as Fia Vesta.

It was ironic in a way that left a bad taste in her mouth. She talked about ridding the world of her evil and yet she was going to use the very source of that evil to do it. In that regard, it was appropriate that she would call herself a villain.

Of course, the weapons were more or less harmless on their own now. They no longer had the personality and all the disorders that came with that. So long as Noir did not allow them to live long enough for such things to develop once again.

There was a flash of light and the loud strum similar to that of an electric guitar. The rapier disappeared, Noir once again absorbing her Lust with the power of the shatter glyphs. With it gone, all that was left was Noir's trembling, scarred fist.

She looked down at her weak, maimed hands. Even when she projected the swords, it would be impossible to fight properly with these pathetic hands. She also had to be careful with how she used the swords. Every time she projected one, her Aura got a little weaker.

Noir thought she had taken in Jaune's memories when her soul repressed his and the body took the shape of her own. She knew now that wasn't entirely correct. After summoning her Lust, there had been another surge of memories. More of Jaune had returned. In the same way Noir had filled Jaune when he destroyed the swords, he now filled her when she used them.

How many more times could she project a weapon before his Aura took back over completely? Best case scenario and it was the same number of swords he had destroyed.

On the seventh projection she would die.

She had already projected once, which meant she only had another five that she could actually make use of. Just five more times could she fight with one of her weapons. That was all she had left. Despite having such a small number to use, she reached inside herself once again. This time pulling at her weakest sin, that insatiable hunger of every human.

A black scythe taller than she materialized in her hand. There was a jab, like a rail spike being wedged directly between her eyes. Noir grit her teeth, fighting past the excruciating pain and waiting for her vision to quit flashing. What was only a second in real life felt like years inside her mind.

This was no time to be weak. If she couldn't even handle this pain after only the second projection, what was she going to do when she reached the fifth or the sixth? There was no running away from this so she just had to endure until then.

With a subtle twirl of the wrist she sent the scythe spinning, the blade cutting through the air with an audible whoosh. A gash appeared in the air, her Gluttony "eating" a hole in time and space. This had been the primary principle behind her Gluttony's ability.

Where did the souls go when it consumed them? It was obvious they had to go somewhere and most people just assumed the scythe had stored them inside of itself. That was incorrect. Gluttony operated in a way similar to Pride in that it also had access to a secondary dimension. This dimension was something like a pocket space. A bottomless stomach for which it could store everything it had eaten.

Noir was perhaps a little too overly familiar with this dimension, having spent the better part of the last thousand years calling it her home. To the outside world it appeared as a swirling purple portal, but in reality it was little more than a "tear" in space. She stepped into this tear and popped out the other side only a moment later. Just as easily as stepping through any door.

The entire landscape around her transformed. One second she had been standing on the endless silver plains of Fae and the next she was… well, she didn't actually know where she was.

It had been her intention to try and open a way to Beacon Academy. Noir was still wearing the uniform of the prestigious school and might have even fit in if she just started walking through the halls. She had been twenty when she died over a thousand years ago, yet Noir's tiny frame didn't make her look a day over fourteen. It was there that the rest of the Arc sisters were. Even if Violet would run away while in Fae, she couldn't possibly stand back while Noir attempted to wipe out what was left of her family.

This place, however, was about as far from Beacon as you could get. Where if the plains of Fae had been bright and vibrant, this place was dull and lifeless. The silver blades of grass were replaced by diluted gray sand that gave an appearance of a desert. Only that wasn't quite right. The bright blue sky too was no more, instead covered by listless gray clouds that would occasional be lit up by rolling flashes of lightning.

While the plains had been distinct in that they were never changing, this place was made much more distinguishable because no matter where you looked, it was different. Mounds of the gray colored sand formed hills as big as mountains where in other places it sunk low enough to form pits she couldn't see the bottom of.

In between and filling this constantly shifting terrain were skeletons of all shapes and sizes. Just next to Noir's feet were a dozen decaying bones that might have even passed for human. Whereas not more than stone's throw away was a skeleton that could only have belonged to a dragon a thousand times the size of her.

All of this felt insignificant when compared to the giant black gate looming in the distance. It was like a door, only a door of no such size could possibly exist. If Noir's hair was black because it appeared to reject light, then this gate was black because it absorbed any and all light that dared get too close. It was repulsive to look at, yet now that she had seen it, she couldn't possibly bring herself to turn away from it.

It was almost like the gate was drawing her in. Suggesting she stay. Study it. Learn its secrets. And for a moment, Noir felt the compulsion to listen to it. Nothing else mattered. Not her revenge. Not the body she occupied. Being the villain was no longer even a thought on her mind. The only thing important was finding a way to open up that gate.

An insatiable hunger overtook her. The quest for ultimate knowledge was at her fingertips. If she could just open that door, she would have all the answers she ever wanted. The meaning of life, the beginning of the world, the end of all things, everything could be whispered into her ear. All of it just for her.

The ground slipped away. Noir was no longer standing, but floating in an eternal darkness. She did not mind nor did she feel any fear. Instead she felt like a child on the morning of her birthday. Everything today was about her. Everyone wanted to appease her. She was the queen and it was the most wonderful, indescribable feeling she ever had. Even if she could go back, she did not want to. Had a voice not called out to her when it did, it might have been too late to.

"Noir!" It was faint, almost like an echo.

Everything changed. The darkness was cold and empty. It was terrifying. This was not some magical paradise. It was a nightmare. A clawed hand made of the darkness reached forward, vanishing through her chest and squeezing her heart. The pain was excruciating, yet when she tried to cry out there was no air. Instead her lungs flooded with a thick murky liquid.

"Noir! You have to come this way!" There was that voice again.

She latched onto it this time, gripping it like a lifeline and pulling her consciousness back through the mud. Everything felt like she was covered in burning oil. Her body was on fire, skin melting and bones turning to ash. The only source of clarity was where that voice had come from. She struggled for it, body growing only weaker by the second.

Then it all returned to normal.

Noir let out a gasp, lungs desperately trying to take back in air. She collapsed to her knees, shatter glyph activating and destroying the scythe in hand not out of desire, but necessity. She needed to be whole right now or she risked crumbling apart at the seams.

What had she just lost?

It only felt like she had been staring at the gate for a couple of seconds, but now she realized it had been far longer than that. Hours? Days even? She couldn't tell exactly how much time had past, but her now mortal body had nearly met its limits. Her stomach growled angrily, throat burned for water, and muscles screamed in protest at having stood for so long. Things her body had forgotten while she had been dead were now made apparent to her again.

Her soul had nearly been corrupted by the gate. She, who had been capable of resisting her own swords' poison, had been powerless in the face of the overwhelming evil of that gate. Become a villain? Her? She wanted to laugh at how childish she sounded now. There was nothing so heinous she or any human could possibly conceive of doing that would be capable of measuring against the od that leaked from that doorway.

Yet in the end it had been the voice of a human that saved her.

She turned, looking up at the woman who stood on the skull of the dead dragon. Violet Arc. The eldest sister looked down at her, orange eyes containing not nearly enough hatred for the person who stole her brother. Her purple ponytail whipped in the wind, a powerful breeze gusting through. In her right hand was a bokken, a wooden sword that radiated such lifelike power she almost mistook it for a separate entity.

Violet wasn't alone. Noir was surrounded by her team as well. Lily stood opposite her partner and behind Noir. The dog faunus didn't seem to have any sense of danger or awareness, merely bouncing her sports-ball sized weapon by her knees and elbows like she was on a fieldtrip. Wanda was to her left, a myriad of little green sprites dangling by the crown of daisies on her head. Rue was to her right, fingers on the trigger of a double barreled shotgun and looked to be the only one taking this even slightly serious.

"Why?" Noir asked, ignoring them and turning back to Violet. "Why did you call out to me just now?" Everything could have ended right then. She still didn't know how long she'd been here, but it was long enough for Violet to be able to find her. Too much longer and she would have wilted away. If Violet had just let Noir go on, she would have disappeared and Violet could have her little brother back. All without so much as lifting a finger. So then why would she call out to save her?

Violet lifted her chin and spoke out in a clear voice. "I never answered your question." She said.

"My question...?" It was no longer easy to remember what had last happened between them. She searched her memories, but it felt like something was slipping away. It wasn't that she was forgetting things, it was just painful to try and do something as simple as recall a conversation. "What is going on with me?" She asked no one in particular, not expecting an answer.

"You stared at the Gate too long." Violet answered like it was a common sense. Noir supposed to Violet that something like that would be. After all, she was partially Fae so it was easier for her to grasp the more abstract concepts of the realm. Pride had also been able to do it but only so long as she was using Violet's body. Now that Noir had taken it back, Pride no longer had the means to understand and so of course Noir wouldn't either.

It would appear Violet had retained at least some of the knowledge she gained. "I don't entirely understand what's beyond the Gate myself." She continued, orange eyes shifting to a deep forest green the same color of The Queen. "I don't think anyone on this side is really able to. Only very few even among the Fae know about it and the secret war going on to make sure it stays shut."

Noir went to stand, pushing her hand against the sand to help herself up. Only when she felt the sharp shards against her skin did she realize what it was she was actually standing on. What all these hills were composed of.

She looked around again, a new sense of dread weighing down her whole body and turning it ice cold. This wasn't some kind of desert. These were the eroded bones of trillions of Fae. No, trillions was far too small a number. It was beyond count in the sense that her brain couldn't even comprehend the number of how many had perished on where she now stood.

Just what was on the other side of that door that would cause them to fight to such devastating loss? And for how long had this been going on that it could reach this point? Was that the very Gateway to Hell itself? No, applying a mortal concept like Hell to this couldn't possibly explain whatever it was beyond those doors. It was better to just not try and think of it. Even if she was told an answer, it wasn't one she would understand.

She did now understand why it was here her Gluttony had brought her. It was never possible for her to make the jump from Fae into Remnant. Since she was trying to go somewhere she couldn't, her Gluttony had defaulted to here. This place held the most evil thing to exist in Fae so it was only natural that one of the most evil parts of the human soul would automatically sync itself to this area.

"Makes you feel small, doesn't it?" Violet let out a long, tired sigh and her eyes flickered back to their usual orange. "Far as I can tell, it's been a war that's gone on longer than Remnant existed and will go on long after Remnant dies out. In the face of that, whatever you and I decide here won't mean anything." She paused, just long enough to let that sink it. "Even so, I don't think it's meaningless. Whatever is going on here in Fae is way too far removed from anything I care about. The only thing I can worry about is what's right in front of me. That means you and my brother."

The grip on her bokken tightened. Just enough for Noir to notice it. The pressure Violet was exuding changed, going from docile and conversationalist to ready for combat. All without the slightest physical change in her posture. It was unusual, but somehow Noir felt like that strength she was giving off also transferred to her.

When she stood, her muscles still cracked in protest, her stomach still begged for food, and her throat cried for water. The difference now she was able to ignore it. There was something stronger moving her now. Was this admiration she felt for Violet? Even if it was, it must have been Jaune's and not hers. There was no way she was capable of feeling something like that towards someone she had to kill.

"You're absolutely right about that." She said both to Violet and to herself. Nothing else was important but what they needed to do right now. Violet said she had found an answer to her question. It looked like she understood that the only answer was to earn her brother back. Prove to Noir that she was strong enough to protect him and would actually treat him like a human this time.

"Before we begin, I just want to verify one thing." Violet hopped down from the skull of the dragon and landed on the eroded bone dust. When she looked up, their eyes were almost even. Only offset by the slight difference in height. "Rather, I would like you to promise me something."

"Promise?" Noir said the word as if it was a foreign concept. It wasn't that she didn't know the meaning, but there was almost certainly a difference in value that the two of them placed on such a word. For Violet, promises were absolute. She would rather die than break her vow. Noir didn't place such emphasis on verbal word alone, too often having seen the result of someone's word leading to nothing or even worse, betrayal. "You expect someone who is going to become the villain of this story to keep a promise?"

Violet smirked. As if Noir had said exactly what she wanted her to, she smirked. It was so unsettling a feeling that Noir almost willingly took a step back towards the Gate behind her. "Are you really the villain here?" She asked in that voice Ciel would use when she knew something you didn't. Jaune hated that voice and Noir could already see why.

"What are you talking about?" The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she felt a cold sweat break out across her forehead. She tried not to show it on her face, but she was an Arc. And Arcs had been terrible liars as far back as the beginning of time. Sure, they could embellish a story like no one else, but outright lie? Forget about it.

This was another reason why Noir had wanted to settle things as quickly as possible. When she had first taken over Jaune's body, Violet and Joan had both been caught flat-footed and weren't emotionally prepared for the verbal backlashing Noir had given them. Now the tables had been turned. Noir was the one suffering from the effects of the Gate and Violet was thinking rationally enough to see the holes that had been in her logic.

So it was without any doubt in her voice, Violet asked the question that Noir had been trying to deny from the beginning. "Instead of the villain, aren't you trying to be the hero of this story? Isn't that what you really want? Isn't that what you always wanted?" Noir felt like she was stripped bare. Everything about her suddenly visible to Violet.

Of course she wanted to be the Hero!

Her whole life that was all she wanted. Yet it always felt like everything in life was telling her she wasn't allowed to be the hero. When she discovered her Semblance and could arm the village, she wanted to fight side by side with them. They forbade it. When she learned to separate from her sins and created the swords, her family locked her away like some doll. They became the heroes and she was just the tool that had given them power.

When the swords were turned against humanity and she had ripped her own hands open to destroy them, they made her into the villain. That was how she died and after that she was almost completely erased from history.

She wanted to scream and cry out against the unfairness. She just had no idea how. From the time she was a little girl, she had believed everything had an equal cost. Do something good and you would be rewarded for it. Do bad and be punished. It was a simple concept. She only ever tried to be good. She just wanted to help people so why?

"It doesn't matter what I wanted anymore." Therein was the problem. Noir had wanted to help people not out of some kind of altruism. She just wanted to help people because that was what heroes did. Her earnest and good wish was born from a dark, selfish desire.

That was the only conclusion Noir had been able to come to after a thousand years of thinking.

"You're wrong." Violet rejected her with a voice strong enough to blow away all thousand years of pondering. "It does matter. You wanted to be a hero… and someone who wants to be a hero is someone I can trust to honor a promise. I would never ask something of someone who only wanted to be a villain." They were such childlike words. Yet Violet said them with such confidence that Noir couldn't consider ridiculing her for even a moment. It was like Violet was saying something not to the Noir of now, but the one who lived a thousand years ago.

If only she had a big sister like this back then. Would things have turned out different? Would Noir have had someone she could truly confide in? Someone who would defend her no matter what and stayed by her side?

Wishing for such an ending was pointless. Perhaps there was a reality Pride had been able to see where things did go that way. Noir could not see it, however, and she did not want to see what could have been. It would only serve to make her resent this world more.

"Just spit out what it is you want already." Noir was tired. Her body was physically exhausted and talking with Violet was beginning to wear down on her mentality too. Much more of this and she wouldn't have the strength necessary to do what needed to be done. "I won't make you any kind of promise, but I will hear out what it is you have to say."

So then why didn't she just attack now? No one was making her listen to Violet's words and yet she allowed her to continue talking anyways. There was a contradiction and Noir knew it. It had been there from the beginning. She was full of contradictions. She didn't want to die but she had to die. She didn't want to be the villain but she had to become one. Secretly, she wanted Violet to give her a reason not to be these things. She knew that from the beginning but even now was trying to deny it.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Rue interjected herself into their dialogue. She leveled the shotgun directly between Noir's eyes. "Just because Violet is dumb enough to believe in some childlike concepts, doesn't mean the rest of us are. Even if you don't agree to keep your word, we'll fight to make sure you do. That's why we're here."

"Come on, Rue." Lily chided, though the effect was ruined by the fact she didn't quit bouncing that damn ball of hers. "Don't be such a spoilsport. They were having a nice family discussion and you went and messed it all up."

"I must agree." Wanda turned away from her little sprites long enough to chirp in, having not otherwise looked interested until just now. "We are simply meant to be observers in this. That is the best way we can help Violet right now."

Noir didn't entirely get it, but it more or less sounded like Violet hadn't actually brought these three with her to fight. Instead of using their obvious advantage in numbers, Violet wanted this to be a fight just between them. Between family. It was a sentiment Noir could at least agree with. Too many others had been involved already. Even so, if they got in her way like Rue suggested, she wouldn't hesitate to turn one of the swords against them.

"Sorry about them." Violet smiled in a way that said she wasn't really sorry, but instead rather enjoying the small banter between her team. It was a subtle nuance and one Noir might not have picked up on if Pride hadn't known Violet as well as she did. "Anyways, I just have one thing I want to ask of you."

Noir nodded.

"Let's make this the last fight. If I win, there's really no need to say anything about that because you're all that's left. If I lose, however, just please spare all my younger sisters? They only ever followed me. So if you have to put your blame on someone, put it all on me." Violet said this so simply, like it was normal. Yet these words were among the last things ever expected to leave the eldest Arc sister's mouth.

The fact that she even considered the possibility of losing was perhaps the most astounding part of that statement. Violet was always confident. She never showed any chinks in her armor and she most certainly never talked about the possibility of defeat. For her to do so now meant she truly considered Noir someone of equal or greater power.

It was such an idiotic, hypocritical, unfair thing for her to say.

Dammit. In the end… Noir just couldn't help but like Violet after all. She was a stupid, stubborn bro-con that didn't know the first thing about other people. She always strode forward with such confidence, ignorant to how the shadow she cast was too large for those around her to fill. Yet when she extended a hand to help you, it was like the entirety of that shadow wrapped around you, cradling you like a mother with a warm blanket. For all the pain Violet inadvertently caused others, there was no one she couldn't save. Even if that person was beyond saving.

If this had been any other circumstance and Noir would have lost the will to fight entirely. However, this wasn't just any battle. This was her last one. For a thousand years she had watched this world turn. If it all wasn't all for this moment, then what was it for?

Noir no longer knew any other way to live.

"I don't care anymore." That was all Noir said. She didn't even recognize the tone of her own voice. Was it resigned recognition? Cold-hearted disinterest? Was she speaking to Violet as someone that could have been her big sister? Or her mortal enemy who she had to destroy no matter the cost? She did not know. The only thing left was the fight.

Strength entered her body and every nerve lit up. Every sense heightened itself to the limit. Pain and weariness disappeared, like she hadn't been revived but was still a spirit of Gluttony. Her sapphire blue eyes hyperfocused on Violet, observing every subtle change. Every hair that moved, every rustle of her clothes.

Violet lowered her stance, shifting the wooden bokken so it was at her hip as if intending to draw it from a sheath. Her speciality had always been Iaijutsu, so of course it wasn't going to change now. This was a fight where they both had to attack with everything they had.

Noir too reached inside herself for her sins. She had four chances left. If she summoned a weapon a fifth time it would spell her death. It was like she was holding a revolver with only one bullet and pressing it against her temple. Every click of the trigger spun the dial closer and closer until eventually the bullet would fire, splattering her brains.

In order to avoid such an outcome she had to end this in as few moves as possible. A way around Violet's Semblance. There was one trick Noir knew would work but it would cost her two charges. If the plan failed, she would just have to fall back to her last resort. Her plan set, she organized the sins inside herself. Then she began to summon the first.

There was an audible click inside her head. The barrell spun, bringing the bullet one tick closer to the muzzle of the revolver.

The claymore, Envy, appeared in her self-mangled right hand.

Violet charged. An explosion of the dust-like bones fragments erupted from the point her feet had been. It didn't have to be said, it was a truth Noir had already known. But Violet was damn fast. There had been fifty yards between them, give or take. Violet could cross that distance in three seconds, with nothing more than the power of her legs propelling her forward.

One second passed by the time Noir had been able to come to this conclusion. On the next second, Noir activated the claymore in her hand. Running around with such a heavy weapon wasn't possible for her. Olivia handled the mirror blade like it was made of paper, easily swinging it around and striking down her enemies. Since Noir couldn't do that, she had to make her gamble right here in this spot.

There were two prerequisites for creating illusions with Envy. The first was the victim's mind had to be able to accept it as a reality. This meant she just couldn't submerge you in the ocean or make you think you fell into a volcano for the simple reason that it was an impossible scenario.

The other was that the sword had to exist within the illusion. And the broadside of the sword, the mirror, always reflected reality. It was the one and only flaw of those illusions.

What Noir didn't aim to create was one mirror, but hundreds of them. Mirrors in the shape of the claymore surrounded Violet like a dome, perfectly encompassing her. They all angled directly at the eldest Arc sister, casting her reflection to infinity like a funhouse of horror.

Next Noir reached for her Greed. The claymore in her hand vanished, leaving behind all the mirrors it had projected. There was another click. The bullet spun ever closer. Three more times after this.

Violet hesitated. It was only for an instant that couldn't even be called a full second but it was enough. Twin gauntlets encompassed Noir's hands, hiding away the awful scars she made herself. A chain dangled behind her and connected the gauntlets. It floated and yanked like a livewire, electricity moving it.

Each link in the chain filled with an orb of vibrant, surging lightning. They all simultaneously discharged, striking the clouds above them. There was a rumble, mother nature herself screaming back as if provoked. Then one powerful bolt of lightning came crashing back down, colliding with a mirror directly above Violet's head.

These mirrors were illusions. Ordinarily it was impossible for an illusion to interact freely with the outside world. In a way, they were like Amethyst's permeation ability in that you could see them, but you could not otherwise interact with them.

Envy's illusions were special. There were capable of altering all five senses. Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and yes, even touch. It was complicated to perform such a perfect illusion that it would be capable of replicating such a feat. Just because it was complicated, didn't mean it was impossible.

The lighting hit that first mirror and spread to the others. Like a fountain of water trickling down a bowl, that lighting surged to the bottom-most row of mirrors until every single one was coursing with millions of deadly volts.

Violet hadn't yet moved. Of course she hadn't. The mirrors shattered and lightning almost faster than the eye could see rained upon her. And her Semblance would be able to do nothing to protect her now that their course had been altered. There was no panic in her orange eyes. Even in the face of certain defeat, Violet looked as confident as ever. Noir would have thought it was because she didn't yet realize what was about to happen.

She knew better than that.

Violet's greatest strength wasn't her Semblance and it most certainly hadn't been her old katana. It was the tireless practice she put into everything she did. She was a perfectionist and once she set her mind to something, she did not stop. It was this strength and dedication that led her down the path of perfecting Iaijutsu.

The wooden bokken roared. White runes covered every inch of the dull blade. They hummed with the force of a thousand clergymen attending mass. Then Violet drew that blade. With reflexes faster than lightning and the power of the World Tree in her hand, she surpassed the combined attack of two Sacred Arc Swords.

A powerful funnel enveloped everything with Violet at the center. Ash, skeletons, and even the lightning was lifted and sent spiralling infinitely high. In her awe, Noir made a crucial mistake. She took her eyes off of where Violet had been. There was a shift. In the second that Noir had taken to look up, Violet crossed the remaining distance between them with a single bound.

The barrel rotated. Greed disappeared and Wrath appeared in her hand. Noir had no time to draw the sword from the scabbard. The only thing she could do was expand the shield and pray she had been fast enough.

There was a solid thwack. Swinging the bokken too fast to see, Violet struck the center of Crocea Mors. Noir's feet left the ground and the whole world spun on its axis. Just how strong had that attack been? Had Noir failed to defend in time, her bones would have been turned to dust and organs pulverized until they leaked out like a smoothie. Instead she was sent twisting and spinning through the air, unable to gain control of her flight.

After far too long did it finally come to an end. Noir hit the ash, skipped, and touched down again. A cloud of gray dust rose around her, clinging to the inside of her throat and obscuring her vision.

Crocea Mors hummed vibrantly inside the scabbard. Violet's strike had transferred more than enough energy for Noir to now send back. For all the good it would do her while not even being able to see where her opponent was. Noir drew the blade. With a flick of the wrist she dispelled the surrounding dust. Violet was ahead of her.

Probably only five seconds away at best.

Noir didn't need to turn around to know the Gate was behind her. She could feel its od washing over her. Was that something she could use to her advantage? Even while not looking at it and its presence was overbearing. How much worse would it be for Violet who had to face the Gate now while fighting?

It wasn't much of a strategy. More of a gamble, really. But it was the only thing she had.

The first step was to obstruct Violet's vision. That in and of itself carried its own set of risks. If Violet couldn't see, that also meant Noir wasn't going to be able to see her until she was almost upon her. She would have a split second chance to react.

Noir raised the sword with one trembling hand. The scars ached, but that wasn't important. She wouldn't have to feel the pain much longer anyways. With a simple swing she discharged a wave of pure white light that enveloped everything in front of her. She returned Violet's previous attack for everything it had been worth.

Four seconds left.

Noir projected her final weapon.

One more and the hammer would strike the bullet.

Sloth appeared in her hand, swapping out for Wrath. Of all the Sacred Arc Swords, Sloth had been the only one she remained in possession of while alive. It was the weapon she had the most confidence in using. If she had a chance at beating Violet now, this dagger was going to be the weapon that maximized her odds.

Three seconds.

The light wave vanished, leaving behind a wall of ash that obscured everything from Noir's view. That was fine. She already knew when to expect Violet.

In two seconds the match would be decided.

That was what Noir predicted.

Violet denied that prediction.

As if aided by some force greater than herself, Violet had put on a final burst of speed and appeared before her.

Noir tried to take a step back but it was too late. She hadn't yet put any Ambience into Sloth. It would take too long to create any ice. There was a brief moment of panic. Her fight or flight response kicked in. Retreating not an option, she did the only thing she could and stepped forward, thrusting Sloth to stab between the ribs.

Violet crouched low, bokken held at her side. One hand on the handle, the other on the dull wooden blade. She looked up at Noir and past her. Then her body froze. It was only for an instant, the Gate ensnaring her in its dark and evil od. That instant would ordinarily be all that mattered in a real fight.

Noir's dagger would strike first.

Violet was already moving again, but even for all her speed it wouldn't be enough.

That was the logical outcome. Of course, Noir knew what was really going to happen. Violet's Semblance was going to redirect her thrust. Noir would miss. And then Violet would strike her down.

She was about to die without having accomplished anything.

There was a sudden resistance, her arm jerking to an abrupt stop. Her hand was then covered in a warm, thick liquid. Warmth spread to the rest of her body as well.

The moment Noir realized what it is and it was already too late.

Violet was holding her. The eldest sister had taken Noir in her arms, cradling her gently and placing her cheek against her chest. The bokken was nowhere to be seen, having been casually tossed away like it was something of no value.

While Violet held her she also continued to bleed. Warm blood oozed out from between her ribs, trailing down Sloth and covering Noir's hand. Her Semblance should have redirected the dagger but it did not. Something that could have only happened because she refused to use it.

"Vi… olet?" Noir's voice was weak, slightly muffled by speaking into Violet's shirt.

"This is my answer." Even though she was bleeding. Even though she was dying. Violet spoke in as strong a voice as ever. "You said Jaune didn't need to be saved. What he didn't need was a hero. What he needed was us. His sisters. I understand now. You really were thinking about Jaune when you said that… but weren't you also talking about yourself?"

Those words had been meant to hurt Violet. When Noir said them it was with nothing but spite and festering cruelness guiding her thoughts. Yet now Violet returned those words back to her, with all the kindness and love she had always wanted to receive from her family. From her own brothers who had never been able to give it.

"It's fine now." The warmth of Violet's body was disappearing. "It must have been hard. You must have suffered a lot. But you and Jaune don't need anyone to save you. I'm certain… that you'll figure it out."

Violet crumpled, her body collapsing with a thud next to Noir's feet.

"No-"

This was what she wanted, wasn't it?

What did she get revived for?

What had she endured a thousand years for?

Wasn't it for this very purpose?

She had to kill the Arc sisters and remove those who had been poisoned by her swords. This was what she was meant to do. Everything had been for this. For this moment. If she was going to have to die again anyways, she might as well at least do this.

It was common sense to want to do something with your life. Even if it was your second time around that didn't change. There was nothing wrong with that. It was an earnest if flawed wish.

The problem was she had come to like Violet. The person she was supposed to hate she came to view like her own sister. It wasn't strange. Noir had been with Violet for a long time. She was there, watching as a ghost when she had been born. She was there when Violet cradled Jaune for the first time gently in her arms. And she was there whenever Violet held onto her Pride.

She was supposed to hate Violet but she couldn't. She was supposed to have to wish for her own death but was afraid. In short-

This wasn't what she wanted.

"No!" Noir screamed. She cried out against the unfairness of the world. She cursed her own stupidity for only realizing the truth too late. She yelled at Violet for being someone she couldn't help but love.

She fell to her knees. With fumbling hands, she lifted Violet's head and placed it in her lap. "Wanda! Wanda help me!" Noir called for the one person who she knew could still save Violet.

"Of course I will." The pink-haired girl appeared before them, Rue teleporting the both of them over with her Semblance. She knelt down and immediately set to work, whispering to her little green companions and asking for their assistance in healing.

Violet would live.

Her life had never been in any real danger so long as her team was here. They were the next closest thing to family Violet ever had. So of course they wouldn't allow her to die.

Even if Violet would live, Noir could not.

The gun was still loaded. One more projection and she would cease to exist.

That was fine. She no longer had a reason to live anymore. It was time for her to pass on already. It was time to put an end to this long, long journey of a thousand years.

She reached inside herself, finding her strongest sin. How appropriate that it would end with this sin. It had been the last one for Jaune to reclaim and it would be the one that gave him his body back.

She pulled the trigger-

And nothing happened.

Pride was not summoned into her hands. Noir did not die. And Jaune was not reborn.

"You really are too nice of a guy after all, Jaune." Lily casually strolled up to them, Fetch tucked between her shoulder and elbow, the same grin she always had replaced by a grim frown.

"-What?" Noir turned. Jaune smiled down at her.

It wasn't entirely Jaune. It was his Aura, his soul, but Noir was still the one in control of his body. A white outline covered his form and he wore no clothes, leaving nothing to their imagination. "This is kind of embarrassing, actually." He gave that same awkward chuckle he always did, twisting his body and using his hands to cover himself.

"What are you doing?" Noir didn't ask how he was here. She already knew. Right now their souls were linked together. Intertwined in a way. All it took was a little more tension and that connection would snap. While they remained connected, Jaune was utilizing the ability of her Gluttony to project his soul.

"You already know the answer to that, don't you?" If the question she didn't ask was obvious, then the one she did ask was even more so. She didn't want to believe that was the case. So in trying to deny it she seeked clarification.

"You can't-" Noir started to stand but stopped when Violet's head lulled, still in her lap. These stupid siblings. In the end they were all the same. In the end she really wasn't any different.

"I'm sorry." Jaune crouched down so the two were at eye level. "You projected the swords too many times. My soul is actually strong enough to overturn yours now." Which meant he could have taken back control of his body already. The fact that he hadn't meant he had no intention of doing so.

"Nobody wants this." Noir whispered. She was powerless to do anything to stop him. She already knew that. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to be the one to save him. Not the other way around.

"It's fine this way." His blue eyes shined with gentle fondness, like a big brother looking down at his precious little sister. "You and I were the same. We both wanted nothing more than to be the hero. We both felt suffocated by our family who we loved anyways. Neither one of us had any real sense of value to the point we didn't even care about what happened to our hands."

He extended his right hand. As this form was just the personification of his soul, his hands were unmarked by the glyphs. This was how he truly would be without Noir's Semblance having been forced on him.

"Unlike you, that all changed for me when I went to Beacon." He smiled in a way that could have only have been because he was thinking about the past month of his life. "I met all kinds of different people. Some of them offered to help me right away. Some of them I fought and disagreed with. Some died. Others were hurt. One girl I fell in love with. All of them became friends as irreplaceable as my family."

Noir couldn't stand to listen anymore. "Then that's even more reason why you shouldn't do this!" Couldn't he see that he had so much more to live for than she did? What was she even supposed to do in this era? Everyone she knew was long dead. There was nothing for her.

"I want you to be able to experience those things too, Noir." He said with earnest desire. "Go back with Violet to Beacon. Meet lots of different people. Make so many friends you'll never be bored. And most importantly, create wonderful memories that you'll treasure forever."

She was no longer able to say anything. This was so strange. When she'd first been revived, she'd been so confident and felt like she had all the answers. Only to have these stupid, selfless siblings break it all down and reveal it for the false bravado it really was. It was the outcome she should have expected. They all had the last name of Arc. Even a thousand years apart and there were some similarities that never faded.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised." In place of her silence, Violet spoke. Wanda was still healing her so she couldn't exactly move, only enough to crack one orange eye open and tilt her head. "You are my brother, after all. So this is your answer then?"

"Yeah." Jaune grinned almost sheepishly at his sister. How long had it been since they talked? More than a month now they had been apart. Such a short time to some must have felt like an eternity to them. "Sorry, Violet. You spent so much time just trying to make sure this wouldn't happen, but I'm throwing all that effort away for another person."

Violet shook her head. "It's fine. This isn't the ending I wanted either… but if this is the path you chose then I'll watch over you like any big sister should. I'm sorry I wasn't a better sister in the past. I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to stop our father from marking your hands that day."

"You don't have to feel guilty about that." He looked down at his now unmarked hands. "Dad almost didn't do it. I think for a moment he actually considered throwing the dagger away and telling our family traditions to go eat shit." There was a pause. "I'm the one who convinced him to go through with it. That was also my choice. I just wanted the chance to be your hero."

"You were always my hero, Jaune." Tears silently slid down the side of Violet's face. You would never know she was crying by her voice alone. "From the moment you were born you saved me. You made everything feel like it was worth something to me. Like everything had meaning."

"Thank you, Violet." Jaune stood up. "Thank you." His voice choked and it looked like he too no longer had the capability to speak. Even so, the smile on his face was the biggest and most bright anyone had ever seen. Despite the tears that ran down his face, they did nothing to hinder the radiance of that smile.

He looked at Noir one last time.

Then he pulled the trigger of that proverbial revolver.

With no one but Violet, Lily, Wanda, Rue, and Noir to see him go.

The shield of Crocea Mors in one hand and its sword in the other, Jaune Arc disappeared from their world entirely.

* * *

 **End**

* * *

 **AN:** Next time is the epilogue.


	74. Epilogue

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Spectrum**

 _Epilogue_

* * *

The airship began to slow, making its final turn as it prepared to dock.

Outside the window and the magnificent view of Beacon Academy came into view. The school had been almost completely redesigned and even two and a half years after the battle that had taken place was still undergoing additional reconstruction. A testament to just how serious the damage had been.

Yet two and a half years also felt like such a short amount of time. The repairs to the infrastructure would eventually be complete and all the scars of the battle removed. What couldn't be brought back were all the lives lost that day.

Violet stood from her seat and prepared to disembark. As she lifted her luggage from the storage rack above her the ship gave one final tremor just before landing. Her stomach flipped and she instinctively raised a hand to cover her mouth. Only to stop halfway, the motion-sickness never coming on. Even the mental image of her stomach flipping had all been inside her head, a reflex instilled into her over twenty-five years of life. A trauma that did not so easily disappear.

She made her way for the exit, ignoring the wide berth all the other passengers made for her. Most of them didn't look at her out of hatred, but some mixed combination of fear and awe. After all, she was pretty recognizable with her orange eyes, purple hair tied in a ponytail and the wooden bokken strapped to the side of her luggage. Not a single one of their faces were recognizable to her. Stepping outside and making her way down the ramp brought her to two immediately distinguishable faces, however.

"Autumn." She greeted her sister first. Her orange-hair was no longer in two twintails but a single ponytail not much unlike Violet's own. Over the past two and a half years she had grown a little taller, but the most striking difference was the muscle mass she put on. Combined with the gauntlets Ruby had made for her and Violet wouldn't wish for anyone to be on the receiving end of one of her punches.

"Yang." She greeted immediately after. Despite herself, her eyes always lingered on that deep scar across her throat. One Violet had been at least partially responsible for giving her. Her blonde hair had almost entirely grown back out now and she too had it tied in a ponytail. She was wearing an orange tank top covered by an open gray jacket and brown cargo pants while Autumn wore an almost matching outfit just with different colors. Violet had originally compared Autumn's ponytail to her own she was starting to wonder if perhaps that wasn't the case after all.

The two girls stood side by side, not looking to have been waiting for longer than a few minutes. Which was likely the case thanks to Autumn's Semblance. Her sister had learned to attune herself to the frequency of Beacon's land and could utilize her Semblance perfectly within, just as well as she could have anywhere else. So naturally she was able to track Violet right up until the moment she arrived.

"Welcome back, Violet." Autumn beamed straight across at her eldest sister, the two of them the exact same height now. A fact she almost always seemed to relish in if the shit-eating smirk was any indication.

"How long has it been?" Yang placed a hand on her hip, holding up her fingers with the other as she counted back. "A little over four months now, right? That mission took quite a while considering it's you. So how did it go? Find any trace of where Cinder might have gone?"

"Dead end, I'm afraid." Violet shook her head. "All things considered, it's probably for the best. Sometimes no news is good news" The Fall Maiden had gotten away. More specifically, Pride had set her free while still in control of Violet's body. When she did, she had also given her a pretty severe warning about what was coming. It would appear the enemy had taken that warning rather seriously. There was no movement by Cinder or anyone who could even be remotely connected back to her since she fled.

Maybe she never returned to her superior at all? Maybe she was already dead? Violet didn't know but whenever a reliable source popped up that looked like it might bring her closer to the truth and she went to investigate. It was her obligation to do so. She never went alone, her team always dropping anything they had going on to join her. It was better that way. Kept the rest of her family out of the public eye.

"What about you?" Violet asked, nodding towards Yang. "You still haven't gone on that trip to find your mother?" Beacon was on a break right now between semesters. Many of the students should be at home with their families. Classes had only started back up again this year but things seemed to be operating as smoothly as could be expected. Ozpin could at least be commended for that.

"Ah, no..." Yang averted her eyes, a normally uncharacteristic reaction for her. Staring at the ground, she swung her foot back and forth as if trying to sweep dust off the concrete. "He and I were supposed to go looking for her together. It just… I don't know, but it feels wrong to do it on my own now, you know?"

"Of course." Violet smiled gently, stepping forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "It takes some adjusting, but just give it time. I'm sure you'll be able to go on that journey soon. Nothing is more important than those you consider family." And her family was so much bigger now than just those of blood, but all those too who had risked their lives to help them.

A heavy silence fell over them, lastly only a few seconds before Autumn cleared her throat. "The rest of your team?" She asked.

"Rue and Lily both had business in Mistral." Violet stepped past Yang and started walking now. The two girls followed after her, just slowly making their way down the newly paved entranceway. "I wanted to visit Domremy again so I had Wanda drop me off there. The three of them should all be able to join us tonight. Everyone else is still coming?"

There would be a gathering tonight now that Violet was home. Everyone that was considered family would likely come. That meant everyone who offered them help at Beacon. Hei Xiong and his men usually offered to cater such events and he would use the full of his staff to make it an evening no one could possibly have any complaints about.

"Che- yeah." Yang clucked her teeth. "You're finally back after four freaking months! We all worked hard to save your ass, you know? We would like at least some kind of return on our investment here. So why don't you like, I don't know, try sticking around a while this time?"

"You're right. I'm sorry." Violet smiled but there was an uncomfortable truth to Yang's words. Even for as jocular as she said and meant them. Old habits died hard and that was true even for her. If she didn't strive harder to change, then there would be no meaning to the choice Jaune made that day. "So then what's everyone doing right now?"

Autumn smirked, skipping a couple steps ahead in order to lead the way. "Want to see?"

* * *

"Come on you slowpokes! Put some hustle into it! I don't see you moving fast enough, you hear me?" Violet heard her younger sister, Ciel, long before she saw her. As was to be expected, she most certainly sounded like she was enjoying herself.

Autumn had led them around the outside of one of the last wings of Beacon to not yet be completely restored. Although at the rate progress was being made, it likely wouldn't be much longer now. Atlas Specialist Robots were running around here and there, doing all sorts of things that ordinarily their code would simply not allow for.

That was because they had been brought to life by Ciel's Semblance and operating completely under her control. After the battle, Winter Schnee had filed a report saying the robots had all been destroyed and while it was true Pride had made them temporarily inoperable, it wouldn't have taken much to fix them. It was just one kindness in the many she had shown to them since everything with the swords ended. It went without saying, but if not for Winter, the Arc sisters would likely have had a much more difficult life than they were currently able to enjoy. If they had a life at all.

Also rushing around with the robots were Cardin Winchester and Dove Bronzewing. The two unfortunate souls likely the ones taking the brunt of Ciel's tirade. They were the only two members left of their team and while Dove received no permanent injuries, Cardin had lost a hand. Atlas technology wasn't to be underestimated and he received a new one within weeks. All without paying a penny. Again, courtesy of Winter.

Ciel stood atop a podium, hands on her hips and megaphone at her side. Not that she needed such a device. She quit wearing contacts about a year ago when Glynda Goodwitch got her a pair of glasses for her birthday. Now she wore those and her wavy blue hair was twirled into two thick twintails that hung in front of her shoulders. She still had the red scarf she was always so fond of but it somewhat clashed with the more business casual style dress she wore now.

Joan and Pyrrha were also both here, the two of them sitting on a bench next to the podium and taking a break. Her sister had grown her blonde hair back out to her shoulders after cutting it to fool Pride. Pyrrha looked almost exactly as she did when Violet first met her on the mission to Mountain Glenn in what seemed like an eternity ago. Even her artificial left foot wasn't visible while she wore her high-heeled boots.

"Violet! You're back!" Ciel caught their approach and so naturally felt the need to address her with the aid of that blasted megaphone. "Alright gents, take five! That means you Autumn's boyfriend. Oh, and I suppose the other guy too."

"Who the heck is my boyfriend!?" Everyone promptly ignored Autumn's rebuttal, not a single one of them fooled no matter how much she tried to deny it.

Ciel hopped down from the podium and together with Pyrrha and Joan met them halfway. "Good to see you're lively as ever." Violet greeted, at least able to appreciate that the Ciel on the inside never changed, no matter how much she changed the way she dressed on the outside. "Must be a pain for all the students here dealing with you as a teacher."

"Pssh, they love me!" Ciel bent over, squeezing her breasts together with her elbows and lifting the frames of her glasses ever so slightly with one finger. "Don't I give off this kind of sexy librarian look? Guys are practically starting fights just to get sent into detention with me!" Well at the very least it was somewhat comforting to know raging hormones was all it took to make teenage boys forget that this girl had once gone on a murder spree only a couple years ago.

"It's even more sickening having to watch it in person." Joan sighed, burying her face in her hands. "I'll seriously never understand the brains of men. She has blue hair! Not just anyone can pull off blue hair…"

Pyrrha giggled, patting Joan's back as if to cure her of the motion-sickness she no longer got. "Now, now. I think it's quite… sweet? Many of them are even improving their grades since they pay such good attention during Ciel's most excellent lessons. They're all scribbling so earnestly in their notebooks whenever she writes on the board."

"Yeah…" When Ciel grinned like that and any Arc sister knew it was time to run. Poor Pyrrha had no such warning system installed. "Hate to break it to you sweet summer child, but they're not really paying attention to what's on the board. They're all infatuated with this marvelous ass trapped in this tight fitting skirt. Only thing they're writing down is material for their spank bank."

"Oh-oh my!" Pyrrha flushed such a deep shade of red you could no longer distinguish her face from her hair and quite literal steam started floating out her ears.

"And with that, I think I've pretty much done everything I needed by coming here." Violet turned and began to walk away. "Rather, I've heard _way_ more than I wanted."

"Aww- you're no fun!" Ciel called after her, naturally using the megaphone. "And hey where do you two think you're going!?" Joan and Pyrrha fell in line with Violet. Rather, Pyrrha was being pushed along by her partner. Her brain did not yet look like it had the capacity to perform proper motor functions.

"Anywhere but here is fine!" Joan hollered over her shoulder, only shortly after muttering a string of curses under her breath. Autumn and Yang caught up a second later but there was a notable hesitance in her sister's steps.

"Go talk to him if want." Violet nudged her shoulder. "Don't hold back because I'm around. We'll have plenty of time tonight and I don't plan on going anywhere for a while this time."

Autumn bit her lower lip and followed after them silently a few steps more. "I'll do that then. See you at home." The others also all bade her goodbye before she turned around and started to sprint off to where Cardin and Dove were taking a break.

"How nice…" Joan sighed almost longingly as they watched her run off.

"Speaking of-" Violet turned to her sister, completely missing Yang's frantic but silent motioning for her to abort. "How have things been going with Ren? Any progress?" Only when Joan's head fell and Yang audibly slapped herself in the face did Violet realize her mistake.

"He's uh… well, he's on a date right now with Nora, actually." Joan immediately lifted her head back up and gave a forced laugh as if to just blow it all away. "Happened right about after you left actually. I mean, it's my own fault. I just kept putting it off and putting it off. Let my insecurities keep getting in the way. Not to mention with what happened to Jaune-" Her voice hitched and trembled. "It just never felt like the right time for me and so I ended up missing it altogether. Just like Yang said I would."

"H-hey now-" Yang quickly stuttered, skipping around to Joan's side and resting a hand on either shoulder. "Let's not bring up that old fight, okay? I was being a pretty insensitive jerk back then when I said all those things."

Joan shook her head. "No. You were absolutely right." She looked up at the blue sky and a little bit of strength returned to her voice. "It's okay now. It took me too long to realize it but the next time I won't let my fears hold me back from making this mistake. Just because this one didn't work out for me doesn't mean it's a bad ending. My team's happiness is what's most important to me. They stayed with me after everything… so the least I can do is wish for them all the best."

"Joan-" Pyrrha turned to face her partner but was at a loss for the words to give her.

"I'm proud of you." So Violet spoke first. "You and I both have a lot to learn it seems. That's okay and we'll figure it out together. Besides, I'm still single too so maybe we can go searching for a good man together?" She smiled confidently, hiking a thumb at herself.

Joan and Yang all looked at Violet. Then they looked at one another. Then back at Violet. There was another second's pause before they both said at once, "That's not very convincing coming from a bro-con."

* * *

The rest of the way was walked in a sulking silence.

More accurately, Violet sulked. The other three were chatting about much more light-hearted topics now that they were finally done with all the relationship nonsense.

Finally they came to a small circular garden located in the middle of an old, rarely used building. Flowers of all types grew in inside, creating a discordant rainbow of colors. A glass ceiling filtered the sunlight down in such a way it was almost unnatural, casting a calming glow against everything that fell under its domain.

In the center of the garden was a moss-covered rock taller than they were with the only way to get to it a spiraling pathway that cut through the flowers. Violet took point and they walked in a singlefile line, the pathway only big enough for one person at a time. The garden itself was small, and it would probably only take about twenty steps ordinarily to reach the center following this path.

The longer they stayed on the path, however, and the longer it seemed to become. The walls of Beacon slid away like a backdrop. The moss-covered rock grew taller and started to lean. Ridges grew into its side and by the time they reached the center it had transformed completely into a set of stone stairs that went two stories high. At the end it simply looked like they fell off, leading to nowhere but air.

Violet didn't even so much as pause, long use to the phenomena that would take them to their new home. Ascending the stairs had the same effect as the garden. To an outsider it would look like she had only taken two steps but if she were to look down it would appear to her as if she had already climbed two hundred.

There was no sense in trying to understand the reasoning behind it. This was just how it was when you took one of the few "proper" paths into Fae. Just as they reached the last couple of steps, the sky above them glowed terribly white as if they stepped too close to the stars.

Then their feet stepped down on the lush green grass of a beautiful and expansive yard. There was a bright blue sky, white and fluffy clouds slowly drifting past and being carried by a gentle breeze. Behind them was only a small square-shaped hole, the stone stairs descending into darkness below.

In the middle of the yard was a magnificent, old, wooden, two-story house. The whole area was blocked off by a post wooden fence. On one end of the yard was a deep, green forest. Beyond that forest and you could see Yggdrasil reaching into the sky. On the other side of the yard were rolling hills for miles.

"Welcome home, child." And just in front of them was The Queen of Fae herself. She was absolutely radiant. Her fair skin and deep forest green eyes almost painful to look at. Had Violet not been part Fae and she would have been.

Pyrrha and Yang had no such immunity, unable to look upon The Queen for even a full second unless she veiled her form. Made it something a human brain could categorize without going crazy. "I'll take them ahead." Joan took both girl's hands in her own and started to guide them away.

Violet waited until they were out of earshot to speak, fixing her gaze solely on her aunt. "I'd say it's a pleasant surprise, but it's not. You have a bad habit of popping up in front of me whenever I'm in Fae recently. You're still not trying to convince me to take that offer, are you?"

The Queen looked to smile, Her expression only somewhat changing. It was hard to read the mannerisms of the Fae for humans as they always looked perfectly neutral, but again Violet had a higher sense for these things than others might.

"Petulant as ever." She said. A phrase that was quickly becoming customary whenever the two met. "No, I am not here to ask you to take your mother's place this time. You have the disposition for it, but I can see now you are not quite ready for the mantle yet either. It is fine. In time, it will come to pass and I will be ready to accept you when it does. You've seen The Gate now. You know of my responsibility and of the one I will eventually task to you. It is inevitable."

She paused just long enough to let that haunting prediction hang in the air. No, to Her it wasn't a prediction but an already bygone fact. "This is neither here nor there, however. And this also is not perfectly Fae. You are at the interstice. An overlap between Fae and Remnant. The house of that Young Fool-"

"In our legends, we just refer to him as the Old Man." Violet cut her off. As far as she knew, she was the only one that had the guts to do such a thing to The Queen. She also suspected that might have been another reason her aunt kept coming around. It was just a hunch, but Violet kind of got the impression She liked having someone who would talk to Her this way.

"Yes, I suppose to the humans he would look that way." The Queen inclined Her head, violet and red hair being lightly jostled by the wind. "He has long since vacated the lands and by The Accords that means they were returned to me. Do not forget that it was the third favor I granted you: The ownership of this house."

Violet scoffed. "Is that what you've come to remind me of? The only thing that favor did was make you even with my mother."

"My point is, dear niece, that you spend all that time chasing after the child of Fall when you live in the home where its power originated." The Queen spoke as if She was talking to an infant, which by her definition Violet wasn't even that. "Consider this wisdom an exchange for having heard out my previous request." Having said Her piece, the Queen turned and began to walk towards the forest.

There was no doubt in Violet's mind She would be back tonight. So for now she just let Her go and decided to shelve Her riddle for another time. She had just gotten back home. It was too early to try and deal with shit like that.

* * *

Violet made her way to the corner of their yard where a decent sized garden had numerous vegetables currently growing. It was Amethyst's pride and joy, her sister spending most of her free time tending to it.

Joining her this time was Winter Schnee and the android girl, Penny. Winter stood outside the garden, arms crossed and watching the two of them with unveiled amusement. Amethyst was hunched over and looked to be attempting to explain to Penny the careful and delicate art of gardening. Neither of which those things Penny was even remotely good at.

"You're still here and not in Atlas?" Violet didn't speak until she was standing right next to Winter. The Specialist gave a small jump, face immediately arranging itself into its usual scowl.

"Of course not." Winter said, lifting a fist and clearing her throat. " You all should consider yourselves lucky that this house has a similar entrance at all four academies. It is my mission to remain by you Arc girls and report all your comings and goings. We have to make sure you don't start up another kind of world-wide disaster." That was what she said and it certainly looked convincing with her freshly ironed uniform and that saber hanging off her hip. However-

"You seem to spend an awful lot of time watching the comings and goings of one of us in particular." Violet nodded to Amethyst with a smirk Ciel would have been proud of.

She knew at least there was some truth to Winter's words. It was convenient for many of them in that this house linked to all four academies. For that reason alone, Reese and her team would be able to come meet them tonight and so could Coco and Velvet who were vacationing in Vacuo. All they had to do was hop into Shade and take the proper path and they could be back at Beacon in a matter of minutes. That was also why Winter was able to spend so much time here, of which she certainly seemed to take advantage of.

Amethyst hadn't changed too much. She still had the same indigo hair kept short, only it was somewhat hidden by the sun hat she wore whenever gardening. She still mostly wore tank tops but had traded most the black one out for white and also wore short jean shorts. Numerous scars littered her exposed legs and arms from the Nevermore feathers, but she never seemed to mind. Said it made her look more "rock." Whatever that meant.

"T-that statement does not have the least bit of factual evidence! I keep a log of all my recordings that I have to send. I can show them to you. I'm simply here right now because she would be alone with Atlas property otherwise. There's nothing else going on here!" Winter sputtered out in rapid fire bursts, face quickly turning red. Violet was already ignoring her, focusing her ears on Penny and Amethyst's conversation.

"Alright Penny. So that's pretty much the basics of gardening. Think you've got this?" Amethyst took a step back, looking only cautiously optimistic about leaving Penny to do any sort of thing that had to do with maintaining her personal garden.

"I do believe I understand the rudimentary instructions behind the task given to me, yes." Penny bobbed her head, crooked pink bow swinging like it would fall off any moment. "However, I find this method to be a most inefficient way to procure fresh nutrients. Are there not simpler ways?"

"That's- well..." Amethyst sighed. "It's just the way the gardeners do it, Penny."

"And the garden people-" Penny asked. "They enjoy this?"

Amethyst paused, fought off another sigh, and nodded. "Yes, Penny. They enjoy it very much."

"Then I shall enjoy it as well!" That was all she said before vigorously setting to work under the increasingly anxious eye of her teacher.

Amethyst looked up just long enough to make eye contact and acknowledge her sister was home, but any conversation would have to wait until later.

So Violet decided to head back to the house and finally drop off her luggage.

* * *

Coming up to the house, she found Yang waiting on the front deck, but Joan and Pyrrha had already disappeared inside. The blonde was leaned over her faunus partner, Blake, who sat cross-legged on the wooden floor and was currently locked in an intense game of shogi with Yatsuhashi.

"What are you three doing out here?" Violet asked, coming up the short steps and dropping her luggage next to the front door.

"Apparently Olivia is going through one of her mood-swings again." Yang answered for them. The other two appeared locked deep in concentration, each one moving their pieces quickly and employing countless strategies.

They were the two most talented players of the game Violet ever had the pleasure of meeting. None of her other sisters would ever humor her with a game and while Jaune would always try, it was never much of a match. Watching them now made her want to relax and play, but from the sounds of things that probably would have to wait.

"Joan and Pyrrha went inside to try and help Rouge and Ruby calm her down but-" There was a loud crash inside.

Followed immediately by Ruby screaming, "I need an adult! I need an adult!"

Violet could feel the headache forming already. With a sigh that said she was getting too old for this, she opened the front door and entered her home. Yang followed behind, peeping cautiously over her shoulder to get a better view.

And what a view it was.

Rouge stood halfway up the stairs, hiding behind the railing and looking down into the living room. Pyrrha and Joan had barely made it past the entranceway, both lost on how to proceed without further complicating the situation. And Olivia was in the middle with a seven-month pregnant belly, one hand lifting an armchair with Ruby in it, the other sweeping under it with a broom.

"Olivia!" Violet barked, causing her green-haired sister to twitch and drop the chair. Ruby gave a sudden yelp and Rouge immediately bee-lined it to her fallen friend. Silence settled over the room, Olivia trembling like she had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar and waiting for whatever punishment she would receive.

The eldest sister walked up to her, placed a hand on her shoulder and wordlessly guided her over to the couch. Once she was sitting and facing the tv, Violet turned it on and placed the remote in her hand while removing the broom. "Olivia." She repeated again, this time voice soft, but with the same harsh intensity as when she shouted.

"Y-yes…" Her indigo eyes glanced at what was playing on tv and then up at her sister before quickly going back to the tv.

"You're strong. Physically more so than any of us." Violet explained to her like she was a child and not a twenty-four year old woman on the verge of having a child. "However, you just _cannot_ be doing things like cleaning and you most certainly cannot lift anything more than a few pounds, do you understand me?"

"Yes." Olivia looked like she had many things she wanted to say but she wisely kept them all to herself. It was just downright astounding that of all their siblings, it would be her that would be the first one to give birth to the next generation of Arcs.

Regardless, she was the one carrying what would be Violet's first niece or nephew. And if Olivia was going to do something stupid that jeopardized that child while it was still in her womb… it was a long time since Violet felt herself this mad. There was almost no describing it. Seeing the regret on her younger sister's face did succeed in calming her down if only a little.

She of course knew it wasn't entirely Olivia's fault. The additional hormones were making her act a lot more crazy than usual. They just all had to work together to make sure they kept her in check and take care of whatever it was she needed to help alleviate that burden however they could.

"Joan," Violet turned to her sister and partner. "Go make Olivia whatever it is she's been having cravings for this time." Her sister immediately complied, Pyrrha following after to help. "Rouge," Violet then turned to her youngest sibling who was just now helping her best friend stand.

"Yes, big sister?" Rouge smiled and waited for her instructions. Violet felt her breath hitch, giving Rouge another once-over. In the time since they moved into this home, Rouge had grown up the most of them. Which wasn't surprising considering she had the most to grow but Violet always felt a strange sense of longing for the little girl to come back when looking at the young woman in front of her now.

Her fiery red hair had grown long enough to hang halfway down her back and she no longer kept it in any kind of childlike pigtails. She was almost as tall as Violet and grew wonderfully into a gorgeous one-piece dress that she was wearing now. Most striking was simply her face and eyes which seemed to lack of all their innocence. She had been forced to grow up mentally fast thanks to everything that happened and it showed.

Unlike Autumn and Joan, she had decided against going to Beacon and finishing her Huntress education. For now she was happy just not to have to fight anymore, instead taking care of the house with Olivia. The only one of them who had returned to active duty was Violet, although Ciel still held onto her certificate to be able to teach. Amethyst might have had it somewhere but seemed content not to use it, just spending her time in that garden.

For most of their sisters, it was just easier to remain here on the border between Fae and Remnant. Many people still hated them, but so long as they remained here it felt like that problem was worlds away. In truth, that rage directed at them was already starting to disappear.

It wasn't that their anger went anywhere, it just got directed somewhere else. Since the last great war, the Sacred Arc Swords had been threatened as a powerful deterrent. No kingdom wanted to pick a war if it meant having the swords turned against them. Now that the swords were no more and tensions seemed to be escalating recently, in particular between Atlas and Mistral.

Vale continued to try and play negotiator between the two, but without the big stick they used to flaunt around it was finding that to be an increasingly difficult task. Even moreso when their own military was considerably smaller. If war did break out, Vale would have no choice but to stay out of it or pick a side.

Regardless of what they decided, Violet had already made up her mind and it was the same as Rouge. She would not fight. There had been too many lives taken by her hand already. It was something perhaps all of them agreed on.

It was better for them just to stay here now.

"You and Ruby sit on either side of Olivia." Violet hadn't even paused for a second, but it had been just enough for her sister to raise an eyebrow curiously. "If she starts to move too much, one of you come get me." She finished the next statement while looking directly at the culprit. "I'll come deal with her again." Olivia gulped.

"Now then," With that taken care of, Violet decided to move onto her last piece of business. Only after that could she finally take a minute to relax. "What is Noir doing?"

There was a slight strangeness that filled the room. It was barely noticeable and it only lasted for the briefest of moments in time but you could not deny that it had been there. It was the natural effect of talking about someone who had died a thousand years ago, was brought back to life, and was now living with you.

Noir was family. That was first and foremost important thing. Not just in blood, but in their lives as well. She lived in the same house as them, shared meals with them, told stories, listened, laughed, and shared the same weight of guilt. Her guilt may have even been the heaviest of them all. When their family had come together to heal, they welcomed Noir as their eighth sister. Even if she was a thousand years older than them all, in many ways she was the same as the rest of them.

"She's out back." Rouge pointed towards the rear of the house. "I believe they're practicing right now." Violet nodded and set out, but not before giving Olivia one last warning glance.

Yang again followed behind her and together the two of them went to meet Noir.

* * *

The two of them walked out into the backyard and stopped side-by-side.

An unnatural silence settled between the two women, one Violet was never entirely sure how to broach when it was just them. It was always easier when another one of her sisters was there, as they all seemed to know and get along with Yang better than she ever could. That bond had never quite been there for her.

Their first memory of one another was Violet putting a hole in her throat and nearly murdering her little sister. It was a distant memory for them both and one they both knew Violet hadn't been at fault for. All the same, it seemed to have left a kind of permanent awkwardness that they could just never get around. There was also the other matter to consider.

"You and I never really talk about Jaune." Yang said, placing a hand on her hip and looking out over the yard. Violet glanced sideways at her before quickly returning her own gaze forward.

"There's nothing about him that you and I have to talk about." Violet attempted to dismiss the topic. Perhaps this was Yang's way of trying to say that she wanted to talk about it. However, it still wasn't something Violet was ready or willing to address, even at twenty-seven years of age.

"That's fine then." Yang shrugged. If she was upset at having the topic brushed aside, she certainly didn't show it. "Just thought maybe you would want to sometime." She too went quiet.

"...Thank you." Violet whispered after several seconds of silent deliberation. "But it's okay. I think you and I understand each other without anything needing to be said." As two people who loved Jaune for who he had been, there was no need for words between them. Although, there was one thing Violet was always curious about. "Do you ever resent him for the decision he made?"

Yang gave an almost amused smirk, no doubt finding some sense of victory in prompting Violet to ask such a question. "Eh, not really." She said plainly. "He wouldn't have been the guy I fell in love with if he didn't make that decision and it was one I knew he was going to make before it even happened. The difference between him and me was I believed in Noir to make the right choice too. If they were really as similar as he said they were, than I had no reason to doubt her. That's why I never had any doubt that he would still be able to keep his promise to me while staying true to himself. And would you look at that, Noir delivered." She snapped a finger and pointed ahead.

Violet's gaze settled on Noir. As her youngest sister had said, she was standing in the middle of the yard. Her pitch-black hair was tied down in a straight ponytail and she had thick white wraps covering her mutilated hands. In one hand she held Sloth, the dagger she would project from time to time when training.

The weapons lacked the raw power they used to have when summoned. They were only strong before because they had a thousand years of Ambient energy built up. Noir only spent twenty-two years alive as a human and her average Aura levels reflected this. It was enough for her to be a force to be reckoned with in battle but when compared to the power they used to have and the weapons just couldn't hold up.

She had taken over Jaune's body, leaving him without a vessel to house his soul. It hadn't been a choice of her own, but a byproduct of Jaune destroying all the swords and completely restoring her soul inside the glyphs. Noir had even tried to give him his body back, but Jaune had rejected that. Now it was hers, the shape of the body conforming to her soul. When Jaune had made that choice, he had given ownership over to her and there was nothing left to anchor his soul in this world.

Only one of them was able to live in that body. It was an unwritten rule that they all had been aware of. It was a rule none of them had wanted to accept. Perhaps it was because it was an outcome no one wanted that led their ancestor to fight against such an ending.

Noir took notice of them, her blue eyes glancing over to Violet for a second. She gave a short nod in acknowledgement before turning back to her opponent, the man standing about ten paces away from her. He too noticed them and while it was clear he wanted to come over and greet them, he instead waited to first be dismissed.

"How about after this we take a break?" Noir asked. "Sound good, Jaune?"

He smiled and nodded right away, "Yeah."

* * *

 _Violet started to rise from Noir's lap, Lily and Wanda helping her to her feet._

 _There was silence. Jaune had disappeared completely now, having given his life so Noir could live._

 _As his sister, it was a complex series of emotions that gripped Violet's heart. Losing the brother she loved and was willing to die for was heart-wrenching in the worst possible way. Like a part of her had been ripped away and she would never be whole again. She was also so immensely proud of him. He got to be a hero to someone in the way he always wanted, saving not just all of his sisters but now Noir as well. Even though she didn't ask to be saved, he did so anyways._

 _The one who was saved sat there, staring blankly at where Jaune had last been. It was like Noir was unable to accept it and still saw him there as he had been._

" _Come on, Noir. We need to go." Violet bent down and offered a hand to help her ancestor up. They couldn't afford to stay here much longer. Not too far from them was a giant black door. The Gate as it was known in Fae, a source of such pure malignant evil that humanity itself could not comprehend it. To remain near the Gate even as long as they had been already was unwise._

 _The wound between Violet's ribs ached. Wanda was an incredible healer, borrowing power from the little sprites she talked with. In this part of Fae and she could only do so much. That was fine. Violet did not much mind this wound. It was one she had received trying to help Noir too. Just like Jaune had, she was prepared to sacrifice herself for someone who never before had someone willing to do that for them._

" _...You idiot siblings." Noir mumbled under her breath, not looking at Violet's hand but still where Jaune had been. Her body trembled, self-mangled hands coming up and gripping the side of her head as if to fight off an impending migraine._

 _She crawled to a stand with her own strength and then glared up at the cloudy sky. Lightning flashed between the dark clouds, as if reacting to the budding rage that festered inside her tiny body. In only a matter of moments it all boiled over and Noir was able to contain it no longer._

" _You stupid, selfish asshole-!" Noir screamed out against the man who saved her. "What do you mean by go to Beacon!?" She screamed out against his idea. "What do you mean by make friends!?" She screamed out against his wish. "What's the point in making wonderful memories if you aren't there to share them!?" She screamed out against his one-sided decision. "I refuse to accept an ending like this! I'll show you an ending where we both get to live! So don't go telling me all these things like it's already been decided you know-it-all!" She screamed against the ending he sought._

 _Noir placed both hands over her chest and closed her eyes. There was a small flash of light in her hands as she projected something, this time an object Violet had never seen before. It was a sheath like Pride, only it couldn't have been Pride. This one was pure white and too short. A full-length katana could not have fit inside but instead it was just long enough for a wakizashi._

" _What is this?" Violet asked. It could not have been formed from any of Noir's sins but it had to be formed from some fragment of her soul. Perhaps more importantly, what did she plan to do with this?_

" _This was an experiment." Noir answered, holding up the sheath in front of herself like it was a holy relic. "The first of the swords I ever projected, even before my Lust. This one was born from my Humility, or a small piece of it at least. However, it was a failure and did not have any combat potential. The only thing it has is the ability to "accept." I did not see a purpose in such an ability at the time and destroyed it, but now…" Her voice trailed off._

" _Now what?" Violet couldn't help the voice that leaked into her voice. Was Noir actually saying- was there a way to save Jaune? Noir hadn't looked for such an answer before because she fully intended to die. She and Jaune were the exact same in that regard. Now that it was obvious that both sought an ending where the other got to live, she turned to something she hadn't even before considered._

 _Noir did not answer, closing her eyes and putting all her concentration into the task at hand._ _Jaune's soul must have nearly been gone now. All Noir needed was the smallest remaining fragment and from the middle of her chest she pulled a tiny glowing white orb. It flickered in the wind, like a weak candle flame that could go out at any moment._ _She cupped it with the palm of her hand to keep the wind from snuffing it out and then placed the small flickering light inside the sheath from where you would insert a blade. Once safely inside, she then capped the sheath with the palm of her hand as if to keep the soul from popping back out. There was a moment where it looked like nothing would happen, but then the whole thing glowed in an extrinsic white light. With a flash too bright to see-_

 _Jaune was reborn using that sheath as a vessel._

* * *

Violet's younger brother tensed for his practice battle against Noir.

Noir took her shape when she superseded Jaune's body. Despite the fact he was taller than her, shoulders more broad and had an extra piece of flesh she most certainly lacked. In that same way, the sheath had transformed into Jaune when his soul was inserted. He looked almost exactly like he used to except for two key differences.

The first, his hair was no longer blonde but a white completely absent of color. The second, the scars on his hands were no longer there. He was completely free from the curse of the glyphs.

No longer having the scars was expected. Jaune's soul was completely his own now whereas the Shatter Glyphs had just been a way to pass on Noir's Semblance.

The white hair was a mystery, even to their ancestor. She theorized that it was because Jaune's soul had been weak and on the verge of disappearing so it assimilated a part of Humility's soul to complete itself. Although this didn't seem to have much effect on his personality and he was the same Jaune he had always been. He was as much a human as the rest of them.

He charged, closing the distance between himself and Noir while completely unarmed. Violet noticed there was no falter in his step and no sense of his balance being off. This was a major improvement, even upon four months ago.

The fact of the matter was, Jaune had been brought back to life by using something not a human as his vessel. Whereas Noir's new body already had all the necessary muscle-development and proper conditions to use her body immediately, Jaune's lacked anything like this. When he had first been brought back, he was like a freshly awoken coma patient with muscle atrophy.

Even just walking or putting his own clothes on had been impossible for him. It had taken a year of physical therapy just to get him to a state where he could go out and function normally enough to perform all the tasks of a regular given day.

Now that he had progressed beyond that and they were working on improving his combat and self-defense skills. Jaune would never be as strong as he once was and even if he could be it would take many more years to reach that state. All they needed was him to become at least strong enough to hold his own. That way when he and Yang one day left in search of her mother, he wouldn't die the first moment she took her eyes off him.

In that regard, it was fortunate he had something of a Semblance now too.

Just before Jaune reached Noir, he held an arm out and a short sword materialized in his right hand. Noir waved Glacies Inferno like a wand and a pillar of ice formed in between the two of them. Jaune gripped the sword with both hands and swung horizontally. With that one swing, he split the pillar in half and pressed the charge.

It wasn't the Semblance he would have been born with. That was forever lost even now. It was yet another side effect of having his soul stuck into a different vessel. Since his true body was actually a sheath, something meant to hold swords, perhaps it made sense that his special ability was now being able to store and project swords.

It was like a dream come true for Ruby, who constantly kept smithing new and increasingly elaborate swords for him to use. Just by simply touching the sword he could absorb it and store it inside himself. Then he could summon them at will, although he prefered to use the simple ones compared to Ruby's more off-the-wall designs.

Jaune chased Noir down, their ancestor constantly back-peddling and creating a series of pillars between herself and him. He continuously cut his way past them, always striking at the most vulnerable point and with the least amount of effort wasted. Even if his natural reflexes would never be where they once were, his combat-sense was still top-notch and his skill with the sword was getting continuously better.

"Looks like he still needs to work on his stamina." Violet observed aloud, the fight coming to an end. Jaune collapsed to his knees and was panting desperately, sweat dotting his forehead and shirt. This was only after a minute and a half of continuous effort. Considering where he had been and it was a tremendous improvement, but in the wilds it wouldn't be enough to outrun a single Grimm.

"Eh, I don't know about that." Yang grinned and gave Violet a suggestive wink. "He had plenty of stamina last night if you know what I mean."

"Bring up your sex life involving my brother again and I won't hesitate to finish what Pride started." Violet said without humor. She seriously wondered for a second if she could even blame it on the sword. Wasn't her fault, it just took back over for a moment and then disappeared. She didn't even know what happened.

"You're just jealous." Yang called over her shoulder, already walking towards Jaune. Violet clucked her teeth but did not pursue, instead remaining standing at the edge of the house. Yang passed by Noir who was going in the opposite direction, dispelling Sloth and returning the sin to be a part of her soul.

"Welcome back, Violet." She stopped next to her and together the two of them watched as Yang helped Jaune to his feet. When they leaned in to kiss and Violet averted her eyes, looking down at her ancestor.

"Things seem to be going well." Violet noted, saying anything to give her an excuse not to focus on Yang and her brother.

"He's making remarkable progress." Noir agreed with a nod, leaning her back against the wall of the house and crossing both arms. Unlike Violet, she had no problems with looking at Jaune while he talked with his girlfriend. "Having a goal to drive him forward I think is a big part of it. He feels guilty for holding Yang back on her quest. That and he's always been pretty tenacious, not knowing when to quit."

"That's true too." Violet rested a hand on top of Noir's head, rustling her hair like she would any of her sisters. "I was referring to you, however. Everything been going alright with everyone else?" They all treated Noir well enough when in Violet's presence, but she couldn't help but be curious when she was gone for a length of time how things held up.

"Heh, you really have to ask?" Noir scoffed as if to tell Violet she worried for nothing. "You're the only one in this family I've seen able to hold a grudge. Your sisters have welcomed me since day one and have never given me reason to think they were being fake about it. Maybe awkward at first, but never fake."

"That's good then." Violet left it at that, not bothering to add that it was only natural they would welcome her. Noir had saved Jaune's life. He tried to sacrifice himself for all of them and if not for Noir, he probably would have succeeded. Noir couldn't see it that way because she still blamed herself for a lot of what happened, but to the rest of them it was an obvious truth.

She was their family now too, just as much their sister as if she had been born to the same parents.

"Violet." Jaune walked up to them, smiling brightly down at his big sister. It always surprised her to realize that he was the taller of the two. It had been that way for a long time and yet she couldn't help but always feel like he should be shorter. "I missed you." He said. Words he never would have given voice to before he said freely now. With strong hands, he wrapped Violet in a hug and pulled her tightly against him.

It was a normal gesture between family. Yet one Violet hadn't realized she missed so much until just this moment. It really made her feel like an idiot and a jerk for having managed to stay away so long again. Resolving herself to be better, Violet returned the hug and held her brother as if she never meant to let him go.

"I missed you too, Jaune." She whispered in his ear. "This time I'll stay for a while. I promise."

This was different from that promise of thirteen years ago. That was one she never would have been able to keep and it was one he had never expected her to keep. They had both finally managed to grow up since then and were almost completely different people now.

He was no longer that boy who wondered what his purpose was. She was no longer the girl that didn't know how to protect him.

Time had frozen for them in that shed for many years. Her image of family had been broken that night and his idea of what he should be for family became skewed. They both were lost and remained stuck, unable to move forward and unable to change who they were.

It wasn't until they both decided to save someone and in return that person saved them that they were able to resume walking again. Jaune and Violet had so much catching up to do in order to make up for all the time the two had remained standing still.

That was fine, however.

There was plenty of time for them to do that now and they had a huge family to help show them the way. Together they would move forward alongside with everyone else.

That was also part of what it meant to be family.

* * *

 **Epilogue End**

* * *

 **Afterword**

* * *

Real Talk: How many of you skimmed through this chapter to see if Jaune made it? I don't know how many of you will believe me if I say this, but I will anyways- there was _never_ an ending in this story where I had planned Jaune to die. Noir was supposed to die in my first few original drafts. In fact, her surviving was a much more recent change. I brought it up before, but Noir was intended to be the real villain of this story and that gradually changed throughout the writing process.

In my very first version of the ending, Jaune was actually never supposed to be the one who transformed into Noir. In fact, it was supposed to be Olivia. My original plan had Envy's true sword as a little needle blade hidden inside the giant claymore. Jaune was supposed to destroy the Claymore and Envy from then would pretend to be Olivia until he broke the last sword and all the souls would merge with Envy, leading to Noir getting revived inside Olivia. Jaune would win, but his hands would still be messed up and useless after breaking all the swords.

I abandoned this plot around the time I was working on the battle scenes happening in Junior's club so it was a very early change. It got changed for two reasons: The first being it made Olivia's role redundant and Jaune just ended up saving her twice. Then to a lesser extent, it also had plot holes I never worked around. My beta actually fought me really hard against making this change. He liked this original idea because it was a more out-of-nowhere kind of twist. He didn't like the Jaune-being-taken-over route because it was way easier to see coming and more cliche. In the end and I chose the cliche over getting that plot-twist. Maybe some of you would agree more with my beta in this case?

After switching it to Jaune getting possessed, Noir was still supposed to be the primary antagonist. All seven sisters were supposed to fight Noir together and she was going to die by running out of Aura and Jaune taking back over. It wasn't until I wrote Noir's backstory and had to implement it that I realized she was too flat a character as she was. So her role got changed and that big climatic fight removed. I also kind of realized that the fight between Jaune and Pride was the real emotional climax of the story. So what I did was make the two fights after that smaller, more personal battles and they were intended to be the falling action.

I don't know if you noticed, but I quit writing from Jaune's perspective entirely after chapter 50 and didn't write from his PoV again until chapter 66 when they found out about their mother. This was because his growth stagnated and in some ways also relapsed after that first conversation with Noir. The story became much more about the rest of his sisters and resolving their personal conflicts for the last third or so. Family was always the core theme of the story, so of course they were all going to be important in more ways than just a check-list to be saved. It just wasn't until I started considering Noir as someone very much like them that I got an exact idea on the ending I wanted to reach.

Just a small bit of insight from me about how we got to this ending. I know it won't convince anyone who was dissatisfied with it and if anything it probably made some of you wish I stuck to one of the older plans. All the same, I felt it worth saying.

Jefardi was the beta and helped me in many ways when creating this story. From the early planning phases he helped me with some of the abilities of the swords and with choosing a variety of the weapons. He helped me figure out Jaune's fighting style and suggested some good videos to give me an idea of what I was going for. He is also the one who named Olivia, as originally I was calling her Ivy but wasn't quite feeling that name. He wrote one of the omakes and also read almost every chapter before release to make sure it was as good as could be. So serious credit goes to him for helping as much as he did.

Now a word from Jefardi:[Huzzah its done! I really don't have a whole lot to add to what Cynd said; its been a crazy ride lasting close to three years (since the outlining started or at least when I was brought in).

My comments are thus;

Winter and Amethyst fuck. They fuck a lot in the futuuuureeeeee. (Its the one pairing I wanted to have happen)

Originally we were going to have every sister be with someone, with the only exception being Violet and I think Ciel? This was one of the few fights I think I won... or Cynd just decided to scrap it because less work? It's all a nebulous thing at this point.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this project, for me, was hearing the entire outline, and then every 15-20 chapters later (almost without fail) going "wait, this doesn't make any sense?" and finding out that Cynd had changed it. Fairies are a good example of this, which came in rather abruptly to me because I believe he was reading the Dresden Files. Speaking of...

I know Cynd has said this before, but this deserves to be reiterated. I don't think there has been a single original idea in his writing. A very good case of this is the amount it pulls from Fate. I won't give any spoilers besides which route (Heaven's Feel), but I recently played the game and I swear, I fucking swear, this fucker was copying line for line in some of the combat. It was really hilarious when you have the context.

So if anyone noticed that the writing style towards the end changed... well, that's why.

If you want a good laugh and have time, there are a handful of series to watch/read if you ever want some more context about what I'm talking about;

A Certain Magical Index, Katanagatari, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fate/Stay Night (the Visual Novel, especially Heaven's Feel) and probably the Dresden Files (I haven't read that one so less sure). I'm probably missing some but those are the big influences on this.

Wow, I just started to ramble, well shit.

Anywho, thanks for reading! The comments to the chapter before this were really funny! Now back to Cynd and the rest of his notes!

P.S. The one thing that got cut that really did make me sad was Gluttony was supposed to summon Adolf Reinhard from Terra Formars... poor guy got screwed even in fan fiction.]

Everything he said is true, by the way.

Natzo is another person who contributed immensely in a way I would never be capable of by myself by drawing all of the Arc sisters and several other works depicting characters from the story. The latest one includes portraits of the Arc parents, Fae Queen, Noir, Jaune's uncle and a little comic with VLWR. As always, links to these are all on my profile page.

The Spookiest of Noodles and Aegir01 both wrote an omake to help flesh out the Arc sisters further and Confections101 drew some fanart of Lily that I also have linked on my profile. The following users all gave me fantastic suggestions for omakes that I ended up using, sometimes suggesting things I had never thought of and helping me add a layer to these OCs I might not have been able to without their input: Eunoshin, greyshinobi1, insert name, a very lazy person, Elfzero, volcaniclord, Suna no Ken, Drake D Zero, TheLittleJimmy, the things that define you, Master Attlon, The Flippant Writer, Eternal King, and Cormag Ravenstaff.

Seriously, thanks to everyone who reviewed this story at one point or another along the way. There have been many insightful responses throughout the whole story, even amidst some of the more rightfully critical ones. Even if I didn't respond as much as I should have, I read every single review and spent a lot of time thinking about many of them. Some brought up things I hadn't even thought of and ended up making it into the story. Some brought up really good points that unfortunately just didn't get addressed or the story was already going down a different route. There was a lot of great constructive criticism that's helped me improve and I'll look back at again to continue improving.

Spectrum covered a lot of different themes and I experimented with several different styles of writing throughout, trying to find what works best for me and exploring how to be a better writer. As I mentioned above too, but my ideas grew and changed a lot throughout the writing process. Sometimes those changes were because of plot-holes, sometimes they were because I found ways to better serve the themes/plot, sometimes they were because of new information Canon gave us, sometimes because of good suggestions in a review, and other times they were just on a whim or I was reading something that influenced me. I think that created a sometimes uneven reading experience and certain parts of the story ended up much stronger/weaker than the others.

Regardless of all the flaws it has, I do thank everyone who stuck it out the whole way. I know it was asking for a lot to get you invested in seven OC characters right off the bat and even more along the way. So really, thank you.


End file.
